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1[[AC:Franchise/TheKingOfFighters]]
2[[WMG:The entire series is an alternate universe of ''VideoGame/FatalFury''.]]
3The primary piece of evidence for this is that Geese Howard, who died after being knocked off the top of Geese Tower by Terry Bogard, is still alive as late as ''KOF 2003''. In the ''Fatal Fury'' series, he's as dead as a doornail, which is why Terry adopts Geese's son Rock. Characters from the latest game in the ''FF'' series (''Garou: Mark of the Wolves'') have shown up in the ''KOF'' games, but Rock has not. Either Terry has not killed Geese yet (which doesn't make sense, seeing as in 2003 he has his ''Garou'' look, which he adopted ''after'' he killed Geese and adopted Rock), or he never will (which removes his purpose for adopting Rock in the first place).
4* Rock ''has'' shown up in ''KOF'', albeit as a pre-teen and only in a couple of Terry's ending poses. However, since ''Garou'' took place in 2008, we can probably expect him to join you in the fights within the next game or two.
5* More proof for this is that Ryo is supposed to be older than Terry, due to ''VideoGame/ArtOfFighting'' taking place before ''Fatal Fury''. From my understanding Ryo should probably be the 2nd Mr. Karate by now in ''The King of Fighters''.
6** The first statement is technically true. ''Fatal Fury 1'' and ''2'' have "The King of Fighters" in their character select screens, meaning the King of Fighters tournament started in 1992, with the events of the original ''Fatal Fury''. The King of Fighters 1993 tournament saw more international participation, before it turned into ''KOF '94''. Anything ''Fatal Fury''-wise is localized in South Town.
7** I thought that this was a given. Chronologically, the ''VideoGame/ArtOfFighting'' series (most specifically, the second game) leads into ''VideoGame/FatalFury''. After ''2'', ''Fatal Fury'' spun off into ''Franchise/TheKingOfFighters'' and the two timelines [[AlternateContinuity split]] (certain events happened in the original timeline, such as ''Geese's death'', which would conflict ''heavily'' with ''KOF''). About Rock Howard possibly joining you in the future, three things to point out: 1. [[ComicBookTime Every character has had their ages frozen]] since ''[='95=]''. Thus, Rock, who appears in ''2001'' and ''2002'' as a six or seven-year-old (as opposed to being 17 in ''Garou''), will ''stay'' that age in ''KOF''; 2. According to WordOfGod, the developers are saving him up for the next ''Garou'' (which will probably never happen), hence his appearances in ''Maximum Impact'' (another AlternateContinuity where Geese is again dead), ''[[VideoGame/CapcomVsSNK2MarkOfTheMillennium Capcom vs. SNK 2]]'', and ''VideoGame/NeoGeoBattleColiseum''; 3. Creator/{{SNK}} gives Terry's birthdate (at least by ''Fatal Fury'' standards) as March 15, 1971 and he's 35 in ''Garou'', which would mean that ''Garou'' would be set in 2006 (ironically, that was the English title for ''Maximum Impact 2''; maybe SNK is trying to tell us something). If they really wanted to, they could just {{Retcon}} this and age up Rock, but that would be odd considering that the rest of the cast are in their teens and twenties when they should really be in their twenties and thirties.
8** Given that Rock was recently announced as a DLC character for ''XIV'' and making his main roster appearance soon, you might be getting some answers on that front soon.
9
10[[WMG:Ash Crimson is a metafictional character written by Kula Diamond in an attempt to cope with her hatred of fire and get along better with K'.]]
11His "flames" are an extremely non-fiery green, he's known to be out to get Kyo and Iori (both fire-users Kula doesn't hang around with) but not K' (who Kula does hang around with), and check out what a dead ringer Kula's Normal E costume in ''Maximum Impact 2'' is for the guy. He's so important to the plot because Kula needs to give him lots of screentime in order to maximize his author-therapy value.
12* By extension, ''the current 2D ''KOF'' storyline looks so much like the one before the NESTS saga because it's all metafictional, and Kula is not a very original writer.'' The ''Maximum Impact'' games are where continuity actually goes after the NESTS saga ends. (Note that this WMG chain is a joke response to something in the series' Headscratchers entry. Mostly.)
13** Unfortunately, with the roster additions in ''Maximum Impact 2 Regulation A'', either this (rather amusing) theory is trashed, or Kula's creation has transcended his meta-fictional nature to join the tournaments proper. Granted, this ''would'' be a very Ash thing to do...
14** Maybe they were subjects to the same cloning experiment, that might explain the resemblances. Also, don't forget that Ash took Chizuru's mirror, so, he's just taking the other two talismans... Perhaps he's an AU [[Franchise/SailorMoon Death Buster]]?
15
16[[WMG:Okay, okay... who is Gato's father?]]
17I cannot stop thinking, for no reason I can adequately explore, that it's Heidern...
18* Doubtful. Given their ages, Heidern would be 17 when Gato was born.
19
20[[WMG:Original Zero from ''2001'' is Chris from ''[='97=]'']]
21Per their shockingly similar idle stances. His change in appearance is what's left of his transformation into Orochi after Orochi is resealed (white hair, not being a small kid). Possibly, after exploding in the ending of ''[='97=]'', Kyo, Iori, and Chris are all picked up by NESTS, who clone Kyo, don't clone Iori, and make Chris a high-level executive.
22* There's also always the more classic fan-theory that ''Garou: Mark Of the Wolves'' Freeman is an older, much more embittered and insane Chris who for whatever reason lost his Orochi powers. Granted, the theory is based on his stand-up animations and some of his attacks, the fact that Freeman's alternate colour schemes include the colours for Chris and Orochi Chris, the more recent revelation that flameless Iori and Freeman share many moves, and (most importantly) the fandom's unwillingness to accept that anyone actually dies in the series. But if we're going to toss out "Chris never died" theories, this editor felt this oldie was worth mentioning.
23** It's also worth mentioning that people have suggested Yashiro is Mukai, by dint of white hair and earth powers, and that the Orochi clone in ''Neo-Geo Battle Coliseum'' is indicative of... something in canon, usually that Chris is fine and the New Faces Team's return is imminent. Again, despite the fact that maybe a dozen people have actually died in the whole series, the fandom is entirely unwilling to accept even that small number of deaths.
24*** So, Kula's mentor, Diana, is Shermie? [[MemeticMutation FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF]]
25*** Eh... Sorry to be a joy-kill, but no. Even if this was true (Original Zero's ''[[AllThereInTheManual actual backstory]]'' about being 44 and born in the North Pole notwithstanding) and the New Faces Team weren't KilledOffForReal at the end of ''[='97=]'', the fact that O. Zero went down with the ship... er... blimp in ''2001'' means he's probably dead, which would thus cause Chris' spirit to be reincarnated (like the rest of the Hakkesshu) once more. [[InsaneTrollLogic Besides, how would Yashiro's earth powers be mutated into petrification-based abilities? And aren't Shermie's assets and appearance a bit different?]] :P
26*** Furthermore, Clone Zero has the same stance as O. Zero, having come first and all, so unless you're implying there were more than one Chris around, this theory is somewhat flawed.
27
28[[WMG: There is more than one King of Fighters tournament a year, and the series thus far has taken place over only three years.]]
29To date, every single KOF tournament has served as a cover-up for some villain's schemes. It's gotten to the point that the Heidern Mercenaries automatically go into full alert when an invitation arrives, and various other characters have started wondering why they can't have a normal tournament for once. Now notice that no one has ever aged over the course of the series; Athena, Terry, Andy, Kyo, Robert, Billy, King, Benimaru and Kensou are about the only characters who so much as change outfits. Every tournament that is contained in a single arc, therefore, occurs in the same year - ''[='94=]'', ''[='95=]'', ''[='96=]'' and ''[='97=]'' are all held in one year, ''[='99=]''-''[='01=]'' are the second year and ''[='02=]'', ''XI'' and ''XII'' are the third.
30
31* Wasn't ''KOF '96'' sponsored by Chizuru Kagura for the sole purpose of finding fighters strong enough to defeat Goenitz?
32* Yes, but I don't see how that's relevant. Anyway, three words: [[ComicBookTime Comic. Book. Time.]] Every tournament is a new year (and thus ''XI'', ''XII'', and ''XIII'' would likely be 2004, 2005, and 2006, respectively), but having each character be their ''actual'' age would make most of the currently youthful cast jump up about a decade in years.
33** If I recall, isn't ''XII'' not canon since they don't mention Orochi nor Those from the Past, and it being an ObviousBeta?
34** The latter, yes. That (and ''XII''[='s=] low headcount) is also why there were no official teams in the game. That still wouldn't refute the idea, as ''[='99=]'' and ''2003'' took place in their respective years despite [[DreamMatchGame KOF going on a hiatus the year before]] in both cases.
35** Hate to break it to you, but the characters ''have'' aged. A conversation between Team Japan and Team Psycho Soldier in XIII confirms that Kyo is an adult and yet is still attending high school... Due to missing a few years because NESTS kidnapped him. Also, the official story of XIV is that nobody would touch the tournament for ''years'' before Antonov bought it. Also, don't confuse "everyone except a few people never change their outfits from game to game" for anything other than "oh, they obviously at some point changed clothes and just so happen to be wearing the same outfit for this new tournament". Heck, several openings even early on '95 confirm these tournaments are taking place in different years.
36
37[[WMG: NESTS knows the perfect Kyo clone already exists: it's [[spoiler: [[VideoGame/AdvancedVariableGeo Satomi Yajima]]]]]]
38* So they ''think''.
39** Not only are they mistaken about their target being [[ArtificialHuman a clone]], they've also assumed them to be ''a male''. Which is why they'll never find what they're looking for: the one they're after [[SamusIsAGirl is actually a 17 year old]] [[AlmightyJanitor combat waitress.]]
40** So NESTS has resorted to repeatedly trying to make one of their own, as an alternative. But each of them is flawed, with 'K being their best attempt. Whereas Saisyu did it the old fashioned way.
41
42[[WMG: Rugal is NotQuiteDead and may have been in league with NESTS]]
43
44* This theory has been around for ages, but not on here. Well, here it is. Firstly, it's not stated if it really IS the real Rugal in ''[=95=]''. The real one could be alive and in hiding until he has enough power to get revenge on Kyo and all those who opposed him. Secondly, there is artwork of a number of ''[='95=]''-era Omega Rugals [[http://media.comicvine.com/uploads/6/63024/1203045-image27_super.jpg in various stasis containers.]] Secondly and most blatantly, in ''2000'', when a dead Striker is called upon, they fade away in some form (Chris flickering away, Goenitz exploding into a tornado), but when Rugal is summoned... he jumps off. The only Strikers to do this are still living ones and it's our understanding that Rugal DIED in ''[='95=]''. Also, non-canon as it is we have his winquote to the NESTS team in ''2002'': "There are those who you just can't betray", hinting that if he IS alive, NESTS had something to do with it. This is exemplified with the end picture in ''2002'', showing Rugal sitting on a throne, surrounded by NESTS members (Krizalid, Igniz, Original Zero and various others).
45** For one instance, he could have not only survived his boat's explosion in ''[='94=]'', but had been an Olympic Champion swimmer and made it to shore where one of his followers helped him out. Then he had a clone masquerade as himself, complete with Orochi power. The reason Rugal exploded was probably 'cause if it were a clone then they couldn't possibly handle the power that Rugal could manage flawlessly.
46*** Even though it's non-canon, when you fight Omega Rugal in ''[='98=]'', you see him emerging while covered in wires. Possibly it is either a clone, or a now feral Rugal who was recovering in a stasis tank that got somewhat damaged by the sinking of his boat. His win portrait shows his arms as being held by a number of wires while his face is a perfect example of insanity.
47*** Then his intro in ''2002'', wherein it shows him in his plane. He is wearing a coat attached to various wires. Could it be a NESTS clone, or the real thing, with a larger semblance of sanity than his ''[='98=]'' self, which was clearly prematurely re-awakened and therefore unstable?
48*** [[spoiler:This theory may hold water, because in the console-exclusive [=SkyNoah=] stage for ''XIII'', the ship's monitor feed is hijacked in the final round and shows Rugal's face, clear as day, on the monitor.]]
49*** [[spoiler:Rugal's face appearing on the monitor might actually be for fanservice reasons.]]
50*** [[spoiler: Possibly {{Jossed}} in ''XIV'', since its final boss Verse has Rugal among a collection of souls. These souls are released once Verse is defeated, leaving Rugal's return in the future open.]]
51
52[[WMG: Time runs in a different cycle in the ''KOF''[='s=] Earth, as it's an AlternateUniverse of our world.]]
53Their year mark might be a completely different thing as well. It would explain how much years passed and nobody got older. Well, nobody except Rock Howard. But this might be explained that they age to teenagers quicker than our planet's humans, too. It would make Bao's absence open a field to imagination; he probably is a {{Bishonen}} after a couple of (our) years.
54
55[[WMG:Adelheid and Rose Bernstein's mothers are Mature and Vice, respectively]]
56It's in the personalities of Rugal's kids, really. Adel is honorable and sporting, mirroring Mature being the classier of the secretary duo. demeanor. Meanwhile, Rose's RichBitch-to-the-hilt act clearly takes from Vice's wild, borderline-insane personality. As to how this happened... you don't think Rugal simply had Mature and Vice just do secretarial work when he hired them, did you?
57* That would also make Adel and Rose part-Orochi, and thus susceptible to the Riot of the Blood. Given that Orochi's seal was already broken, and fellow halfas Leona and Iori have already experienced the [=RotB=] (in ''2003'' and ''XI'', respectively), this could make for an interesting concept in the next game.
58** Assuming they were conceived after Rugal fought Goenitz, wouldn't they already have some minor Orochi power? I'd always assumed the Genocide Cutter was a result of the Orochi claw powers demonstrated by Iori, Leona, et al.
59** Looking back on things, even with ComicBookTime in effect, Adel and Rose (given their ages) would have to have been conceived before the start of the series, which could possibly coincide with some unspecified period after Goenitz ran into Rugal, cut out his eye, gave Rugal a portion of the Orochi power, and then sent Mature and Vice to keep watch over Rugal. That being said, it seems more likely that Mature is both of their parents, as she's the only one of the pair with an explicit attraction to Rugal (after all, Vice didn't get an intro pose where she blew a kiss to Rugal, now did she?).
60* Doubtful about Vice, but Mature being the mother of Rugal's kids is very possible. Adel looks pretty much like a mix of Mature and Rugal. Rose not so much, but if her measurements are anything to go by, she will grow up to play GenerationXerox more or less straight (or would grow up, if not for ComicBookTime). Also, both kids are blonde, which is a recessive trait and is guaranteed to occur if both parents are blonde.
61
62[[WMG:Freeman from ''Garou: [=MotW=]'' is Iori after he lost his power.]]
63Freeman looks a lot like Iori with his claws attacks, and he is a bit insane too. Now, if you look at Iori's new ''KOFXII'' outfit, it does match with Freeman's outfit ...
64* Jossed. None of their biographical information (DOB, age, nationality, etc.) matches up. Plus, [[spoiler:Iori gets his powers back at the end of ''XIII''.]]
65
66[[WMG:Ash Crimson is Orochi, or some manifestation of him (possibly a Hakkesshu).]]
67Think about it: Ash/Orochi has been unsuccessful in taking out the clans and their descendants thus far, so this time around he wants to take away what makes them a threat- their powers. As much as his fighting ability's been trotted around, he really isn't that proven. He stole Chizuru's power while she was weakened and unaware, and he beat Iori in [=RoTB=]. With some connection to Orochi, he probably could have easily beaten him by restricting him, or with his general control over him. And it could just be me, but it seems like he's starting to look better, more vital in each of his subsequent appearances, though this could just be art style.
68
69[[WMG:The children of Goenitz, Igniz, and Original Zero could be eventually be contenders in a future ''KOF'', possibly [[YouKilledMyFather seeking revenge for the death of their fathers]].]]
70[[Tropers/{{X2X}} I'll]] dissect this wacky, yet oddly plausible theory piece by piece.
71
72Goenitz first. As we all know, Mr. '''KOKO DESU KA?''' was the leader of both the Hakkesshu and the Four Heavenly Kings. He was also 41 in ''[='96=]''. While no implications were given, he could have had a family at that time; he was definitely old enough to be a father. Also, would ''you'' have expected ''Geese'' and ''Rugal'' of all people to have children? Me neither. A lot of you are probably aware of Goeniko, the [[AttractiveBentGender Midnight Bliss'd]] version of Goenitz from ''VideoGame/SNKVsCapcomSVCChaos''. Naturally, {{Fanon}} and VideoGame/{{MUGEN}} have already come up with multiple backstories for her. Originally, she was supposed to be a clone of Goenitz used by Rugal in his attempts to again gain the power of Orochi. Then, there were more and more riffs on who she was, with additional versions of Goeniko popping up, such as Wind (the daughter of Goenitz who was possessed by Orochi) and Reas (simply a transformation). Again, despite Goenitz being a [[SinisterMinister priest]] (we don't know what denomination he belonged to, though, even if Christian is a likely bet), he could have possibly settled down. Gaidel, the biological father of Leona, did just that (additionally not wanting anything to do with Orochi). At the end of ''2003'', it's revealed that the seal on Orochi was broken, possibly allowing for the Wind version (or some variation thereof). With the exception of ''maybe'' Gaidel, I'm throwing out the possibility of being a reincarnated Hakkesshu member because everyone except for Yamazaki either died in ''[='96=]'' or ''[='97=]'', which would mean that their reincarnations would be (at the oldest) ''eight'' by the time of ''XI''.
73
74Then, there's Igniz. As we all know, Igniz was ''fifty-six-freakin'-years-old'' (in ''2001'') despite being (arguably) the biggest [[{{Bishonen}} bishie]] in ''KOF'' history. He also had a lover named Misty (that woman with the short white hair who appears in his win poses). For all we know, she could either be close in age to him, or [[MayDecemberRomance much younger]]. The key word in the equation is ''"lover"''. They weren't married, but for all we know, they could have consummated their relationship countless times over (and if the whole "they're both OlderThanTheyLook" thing applies, they could have been doing this thing before ''most of the cast was born''). Who knows? Maybe (in the most cliched of romantic plot developments) they mated before "lovable" Igniz bit the bullet in his failed ColonyDrop. Depending on what happened, they could already have a child, or she could have just given birth. I honestly don't know (and it wouldn't explain why said child hasn't shown up yet). This ''is'' SNK we're talking about. Additionally, she comes from the NESTS saga, the ''KOF'' arc dealing with a NebulousEvilOrganization that resorted to cloning, genetic manipulation, and bionics. Many playable characters from NESTS had bionically/genetically-enhanced bodies or relied on technologically advanced battle suits. For all we know, both Misty and Igniz could have had their bodies altered to the point that having a child would result something along the lines of [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII Sephiroth]] (inserted with [[SuperSerum Mako]] cells in the womb) or maybe even [[ComicBook/XMen Vulcan]] ([[spoiler:stillborn]] baby that was [[spoiler:revived and]] rapidly sped up to a viable age). Again, who knows? It doesn't explain why she's with Ron (a guy who's taken interest in the MacGuffin sealed within Kensou's body), but then again Misty was a ''very'' obscure character.
75
76Original Zero had no children of his own so to speak, but [[AllThereInTheManual in his profile]], it's said that he likes raising children, so he probably adopted a few and possibly trained them on the side. He's also a mild case of a NobleDemon. Oh, and he's dead. [[spoiler:To be honest, K' & co. didn't kill him; Zero simply let them go on as he went down with the blimp.]]
77
78Anyway, it might be cool to see the next generation of {{SNK Boss}}es (hopefully, they wouldn't be as cheap). Rock and Adel were pulled off quite well. About getting revenge, it may or may not come into play, considering that Rock and Adel are quite different from their fathers (and don't seek revenge for their deaths), thus subverting a case of GenerationXerox and YouKilledMyFather. Maybe they can all form a "Evil Legacy" Team or something...
79
80* Actually, in this Troper's opinion, an "Evil Legacy" team would be more along the lines of Adel Bernstein, Rock Howard, and Alba Meira (if he ever makes it to a 2D ''KOF'').
81** The only problem really holding Rock back is that he's only a kid in the main ''KOF'' series. You'd have to [[{{Retcon}} scroll up his age by about ten years]] for that to work. I'd also question what Alba Meira's "evil legacy" would be, unless you're referring to [[spoiler:his past life of sorts as Judeim]] (yes, Alba and Soiree are Fate's adopted sons, but Fate was a gang leader who actually strove to keep Southtown peaceful after Geese's death in the ''MI'' timeline).
82
83[[WMG: Heidern is a bit of a coward.]]
84* It would explain why he suddenly stopped entering KOF tourneys at 1996, sending his daughter in his stead: He's actually a tremendous pansy that hides under a table when and if things get hectic. He looks the right age for a good 7 years more of service and I don't think he was mentioned in WordOfGod's canonical ending to ''[='95=]''. If anything, ''2001'' marked the time when Ralf finally had enough and dragged that cycloptic buffoon kicking and screaming to the registration counter.
85** That you, Tropers/MightyKombat? :P Or maybe... Heidern is behind ''[[TheChessmaster everything]]''. His "[[DistressedDude being captured]]" by two [[CreepyChild weird kids]] at the end of ''XI'' is a part of some unspecified grand master plan. In the end, Heidern will step out of the shadows, say "JustAsPlanned", and will become the worst SNKBoss ''of all time''. [[MemeticMutation Of all time!]]
86** Considering his power in ''[='94=]'' and ''[='95=]'', I wouldn't put it past him. Then again, I don't know HOW to explain how Clone Zero's clone managed to hold him at gunpoint... unless that was planned for too.
87*** He's the commander. It's not his job to fight, he gives the orders.
88*** But he's still ''capable'' of fighting (after all, who else do you think taught Leona?), he just ''chooses'' not to. All according to plan, naturally.
89
90[[WMG: The only reason [[VideoGame/FatalFury Yamazaki didn't betray Billy Kane and Blue Mary]] back in ''KOF '97'' is only because he was still expecting payment from Geese Howard.]]
91* In ''KOF '97'' the New Faces Team ([[TheBigGuy Yashiro]], Shermie and Chris) offered Yamazaki a job in the Hakkeshu when you play as the '97 Special Team ([[PsychoForHire Yamazaki]], [[TheDragon Billy Kane]], Blue Mary). However Yamazaki refused and was more interested in beating them up instead. Though their mistake was not expecting Yamazaki to be willing to betray his teammates their biggest mistake was thinking he'd do it for free. Because in the '97 Special Teams ending for ''KOF '97'' Yamazaki attacked Geese and Billy Kane as he was demanding Geese to pay him for his services. Granted to be fair one could wonder if the New Faces Team could have been able to out-do Geese Howard in payment (or even if Goenitz would've been able to do something about it before ''KOF '97'' occurred as well).
92** Or alternatively despite getting the chance to be a part of the Hakkeshu, Yamazaki had the foresight to see that they wouldn't last that long and kept his distance to not have the same fate as them. [[DemotedToExtra (Too bad he didn't get to fare that much better in Screen-time after the Orochi Saga ended.)]]
93
94[[WMG:''XIII'' will have some [[UnexpectedCharacter unexpected]] characters as mid bosses.]]
95** {{Jossed}}. :(
96*** Billy Kane in the console version.
97
98[[WMG: Yuri is a mentally scarred and unstable StepfordSmiler.]]
99* Yuri was still a teen when she was kidnapped back in the first ''Art of Fighting''. [[IHaveYouNowMyPretty A pretty face like hers]] isn't the sort of thing you see everyday in the slums of Southtown, and neither Geese nor Mr. Big seem very involved in what their henchmen do with their victims. Hence, her ManChild and GenkiGirl tendencies are really a manifestation of post-traumatic stress disorder, and an obsession with reverting to the young, virginal child she used to be.
100** [[BreakTheCutie If this is indeed true]] (this theory would spawn lots and lots of sad pandas), [[TheWoobie Yuri would need a great big hug]].
101*** ... So are you peeps implying that [[RapeAsDrama a woman isn't truly scarred and traumatised unless said drama involves her genitalia]] and that [[AllMenArePerverts men have such little self-control that they will automatically rape any woman at their mercy?]] [[UnfortunateImplications Oh wow, thank you]]. But aside of the potentially offensive deals, eh, I don't know: there are '''other''' ways aside of sexual abuse to traumatise a teenage girl, and specially one who apparently [[TheIngenue was pretty sheltered]] by her [[GoodIsOldFashioned well-intentioned by very traditional]] father and older brother. It must have been [[BreakTheCutie an already traumatising eye-opener]] for Yuri to be captured [[DistressBall when her brother and old friend weren't there to help her]], then being chained and hidden in a warehouse ([[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eStpGQqRFE4 as shown by the Art of Fighting 2 opening movie]]), knowing that her beloved father [[note]]whom she hasn't seen in a while if the SNK wiki is to be believed[[/note]] is being blackmailed into keeping her hostage and will have to fight her other two loved ones - possibly to the death, as seen in the first ''AOF'' game. Considering these details, it's next to no wonder that [[PluckyGirl Yuri is so cheery and plucky]]: [[WillNotBeAVictim she doesn't want to ever be in such a helpless and horrible situation again]], and she won't allow the three most important men in her life to [[StayInTheKitchen force her depend on them for safety]] if she can help it.
102*** (Not OP) To answer the first question, not in the slightest and I'm assuming the OP wasn't intending to come across as offensive (benefit of the doubt here; please don't prove me wrong, OP). That being said, I'll play devil's advocate for a second. In the timeframe we're talking about, [[ViceCity Southtown was running rampant with crime]] (and in the present day, it still has its fair share) and the corruption spewing from [[VillainWithGoodPublicity Geese's]] [[TheSyndicate Howard Connection]] wasn't doing much to amend the situation either. Change around some plot details here and there and do a few character substitutions and you essentially have ''VideoGame/FinalFight''[='s=] Metro City. The scenario above ''could'' have possibly happened, but from what we've seen, all evidence points to no (unlike Jessica, there was no shot of Yuri being shown only in a bra with some Rafastarian brute snidely hinting as less than pure intentions when Yuri's captors give an ultimatum to her loved ones). In any case, we can be certain that the ordeal was enough for Yuri to decide to do something about it and toughen herself up so that, as you said, she'd never find herself in that situation again. I'd say she succeeded quite handily in that endeavor.
103
104[[WMG: [[VideoGame/SamuraiShodown Charlotte]] is King's ancestor.]]
105* Both are blonde, blue-eyed, [[{{Bokukko}} masculine]], badass, classy, French and voiced by Harumi Ikoma.
106** Given how vague SNK is on how connected all of its universes are, [[Tropers/{{X2X}} I]] wouldn't put it past them. It's already been hinted that Eiji is [[VideoGame/TheLastBlade Zantetsu's]] descendant, that Mai is (somehow) descended from [[VideoGame/SamuraiShodown Gen-An]], and that [[VideoGame/SamuraiShodown Kim Hae-Ryeong]] and [[VideoGame/FuunSeries Kim Sue II]] are Kim's respective ancestor and descendant, so why not?
107
108[[WMG: Mai dresses the way she does to distract male opponents.]]
109* How else can you explain the outfit? I'd say it would work on me, that's for sure.
110** [[WordOfGod Confirmed.]] "Loosely based on the kunoichi technique of being sensual to their unassuming prey before they strike" [[http://snk.wikia.com/wiki/Mai_Shiranui as the SNK wiki puts it.]]
111
112[[WMG: SNK will give the older game series' characters more sense of a presence in the next ''Franchise/TheKingOfFighters'' saga.]]
113* One complaint about ''Franchise/TheKingOfFighters'' series recently is due to how SNK did seem to be downplaying the fact that the ''KOF'' series is supposed to be a big crossover of earlier SNK game series' such as ''VideoGame/FatalFury'' and ''VideoGame/ArtOfFighting''. However in ''KOF XIII'' a good portion of the older character did get a bit more of a presence in that game. But while SNK probably won't go so far as to do a ContinuityReboot (kind of like what ''Franchise/MortalKombat'' did) now that the Tales of Ash saga is now over with there is a decent chance that SNK would give their older characters a bit more of a chance to shine.
114** The only older characters who I think are in need of exposition are not from ''VideoGame/FatalFury'' and ''VideoGame/ArtOfFighting'' (they never had any importance in ''KOF''[='s=] bigger plot); the only older characters who had importance were [[VideoGame/IkariWarriors Ralf and Clark]], who are still playing their minor part in the story by Heidern's command, the others are [[VideoGame/PsychoSoldier Athena and Kensou]], these two are the ones left hanging about Ron planning bigger schemes and the Dragon Spirit thing, since ''XI'' they stalled for Ash's eventual climax, now that it is over, I think it should be brought back to focus again.
115* Well whether if SNK reboots the ''KOF'' storyline or not there is a good chance that the Hakkeshu will get more of a spotlight again ever since Vice and Mature have been brought back in the ''KOF'' storyline in XIII. In other words the C.Y.S band (Chris, Yashiro and Shermie) along with Goenitz and Yamazaki. Yamazaki will actually work with the Hakkeshu this time (in which Goenitz will have him be well paid for his work) and Yamazaki will be an absolute {{Troll}} in the games as well if SNK continues the pre-battle banter from ''KOF XIII''.
116** Aside of the fact that a reboot (which sounds a bit unlikely IMO; I'm the same guy as below if you're wondering) would probably revert things to around the time of the Orochi Saga (which would render the need of [[spoiler:having every Hakkesshu member not named Yamazaki come BackFromTheDead]] somewhat pointless), you're forgetting that [[spoiler:Mature and Vice immediately depart back for the afterlife in their team's ending. Whether or not Shermie and Chris actually came back or are just random stage cameos is debatable, but what happened to Mature and Vice would probably apply to CYS as well. Plus, there's the fact that the seal on Orochi was restored after ''XIII''. It's possible, if not likely, that Mature and Vice only were able to return from the afterlife because Orochi's seal was broken.]] And Yamazaki is ''still'' a WildCard when it comes to the Hakkesshu; he has no real interest in helping out the others (now, yes, money ''could'' possibly sway him, but Yamazaki still has no interest, especially when he has other potential employers like Geese). Changing the past most likely would not change around his personality (and the same would probably apply to the ''other'' Orochi defector, Gaidel).
117
118[[WMG: SNK probably will give the series a ContinuityReboot after the end of ''KOF XIII''.]]
119* The storyline in ''KOF XIII'' seems to be strongly giving off the impression that this is likely due to Ash [[spoiler: giving himself a CosmicRetcon out of existence]] in which the potential consequences will be a bit more than just making the "Tales of Ash" saga no longer happening.
120** How so? The only implications of the ending is that all of the major events of the entire saga somehow still happened, but without [[spoiler:Ash being there because he {{Ret Gone}}d himself due to the TemporalParadox he pulled with Saiki.]] Just about every ending, especially the ones that tie-in the heaviest to the story (i.e. Elizabeth Team, Japan Team, Yagami Team), and the ending scenes of the Story Mode in the console version seem to take place after the tournament and (more importantly) after the [[spoiler:CosmicRetcon]]. In addition, nothing so far suggests that [[spoiler:the absence of Those from the Past in the timeline]] would conflict with the events of the Orochi Saga or the NESTS Chronicles. It's not impossible, but it also sounds unlikely. Given Saiki's pre-battle dialogue to Kensou (and if SNK is smart), it'd make the most sense to finally bring Ron back into the spotlight. The Dragon Spirit and Hizoku subplots have been dangling over our heads since the NESTS Chronicles started back in ''[='99=]'' and have become more and more complex as time went on. With [[spoiler:Orochi sealed again and Those from the Past out of commission]], there's really nothing stopping SNK from revisiting that.
121* Alternatively, Elizabeth [[spoiler:pulls a PleaseDontLeaveMe a-la-[[Literature/NoGameNoLife Shiro]], being the only one who remembers Ash, [[http://youtu.be/309rxytHEgs?t=2m19s if you believe the console edition's intro.]] ]]
122
123[[WMG:All of the {{Dream Match Game}}s are daydreamed up by Shingo.]]
124For the record, this idea isn't entirely mine; it draws from/builds on the theory that ''[='98=]'' was based off the notes Shingo scribbles down in that book of his.
125
126It's somewhat straightforward. Shingo simply jots down facts about all of the fighters he's met, fought against, seen in action, or heard tales about. Of course, Shingo might not always be 100% accurate, leading to minor discrepancies (i.e. movesets, EX characters, the various arenas, edit teams, etc.). Upon learning that he needs to fill in the blanks in certain areas, Shingo [[UpdatedRerelease revisits his notes and makes an addendum or two]], which is how we got ''[='98=] Ultimate Match'' and ''2002 Unlimited Match''. In particular, the K9999-Nameless switcheroo was Shingo still trying to fit K9999 into his overall idea, but skirting around the fact that he died. Or perhaps he just didn't like the guy and replaced him with [[SailorEarth an OC of his with similar powers]] and a more tragic backstory.
127
128Now what about ''[[ObviousBeta XII]]'', which was touted as a "dream match" much like ''[='98=]'' and ''2002''? That one's easy. Remember that Shingo was savagely brutalized by Orochi Iori in the previous game and was hospitalized as a result. Who's to say that his notes weren't damaged or outright destroyed during the fight? Shingo tried to reconstruct things from scratch as best he could, but his faulty memory led to "inconsistencies" such as the drastically lowered roster count and characters fighting with movesets that were either reworked or missing moves from previous titles.
129
130* What about ''Neowave''? I'm fairly certain Shingo couldn't have any knowledge about Geese when he was younger.
131** [[{{Touche}} You've got me there.]] Perhaps someone overheard Mr. Big talking about [[VideoGame/ArtOfFighting the days when he was still under Geese's thumb]] and that somehow made its way back to Shingo?
132
133[[WMG:Oswald is a member of the [[VideoGame/GuiltyGear Assassin's Guild]].]]
134We're talking about a guy who uses playing cards [[DeathDealer to lethal effect]]. When compared to [[OurVampiresAreDifferent a vampire]] [[BareFistedMonk who only needs his fists]], a man who can [[LivingShadow manipulate his own shadow]], a woman [[PrehensileHair whose locks are a sentient weapon]], and [[IKnowMaddenKombat a billiards player]], [[CrazyEnoughToWork Oswald fits right in]].
135
136[[WMG:The NESTS organization are [[WellIntentionedExtremist Well-Intentioned Extremists]] who are manipulated by a Manipulative and/or Magnificent Bastard, Igniz]]
137* I have my own theory that sheds an AlternativeCharacterInterpretation in regard to the NESTS Cartel. Though NESTS has resorted to illegal means (e.g. crime namely) but I believe that they overall are [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans utopianists]] (or then at least utilitarians) who believe that their research will be used to benefit mankind. The number of generally honorable people, those being [[AntiVillain Krizalid]], [[MotherlyScientist Foxy, Diana]], [[EmotionlessGirl Kula Diamond]], [[RidiculouslyHumanRobots Candy]], [[NobleDemon Original Zero]], [[TragicVillain Name]][[StoicWoobie less]], [[MoralityPet Isolde]], and even perhaps Old Man Nests himself [[note]](at least based on the few seconds we get to see of him before being killed by his own son. When speaking to K' and his teammates, he tries to persuade him to rejoin NESTS and seems genuinely confused as to why he has been fighting against the cartel)[[/note]], seems a little high for a NebulousEvilOrganisation. Foxy and Kula's outraged reaction at Igniz's [[TheStarscream usurpation of the old man]] and subsequent revealing of his true intentions as well as the fact that Foxy and Diana seek to re-establish the organization following its downfall in ''KOF 2001'' would imply that NESTS was founded on achieving some sort of beneficial intentions (e.g. advances in medicine via bioengineering and technology).
138* Igniz, on the other hand, is a is an undeniably evil person who has [[DragonInChief lead the organization behind his father's back]] [[DragonWithAnAgenda for his own ulterior goal]] of ruling over a new world as [[AGodAmI a god]]. He kills his henchmen when they are no longer of any use to him (Krizalid and Nests and also unsuccessfully attempt to have Kula and Foxy killed off as well). He also seems to imply in his dialogue just before fighting Team K' that he has been using K', Maxima, and Whip as {{unwitting pawn}}s to gather data via their fights against Krizalid and Clone Zero to make improvements to NESTS' clone program (not just only to create more powerful fighters to enforce his will, but also to [[AndIMustScream suppress (possibly even outright eliminate]]) [[TheEvilsOfFreeWill free will]]), but [[ForTheEvulz also because he simply enjoyed their suffering]]. [[FridgeHorror For Igniz to achieve his plans, it would likely involve]] [[OmnicidalManiac committing omnicide against humankind]] and [[ReplacementGoldfish replacing everyone]] [[DeconstructedTrope with absolutely obedient clones]]. "Lovable" Igniz certainly makes [[Franchise/StreetFighter M. Bison]] look {{camp}}y in comparison.
139
140[[WMG:Ash will be brought back in a future ''The King of Fighters'' game.]]
141Insert your own theories regarding this here, because I got nothing.
142* Outside of a dream match, bringing back a character [[spoiler:who erased himself from the timestream would cheapen his death in a way worse than when [[Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog Shadow]] was revealed to have survived his fall in ''[=SA2=]'']]. And given that it took until ''XIII'' for Ash to lose most of the ire he's been incurring since ''2003'', something like that might just bring him right back to [[TheScrappy square]] [[CreatorsPet one]] with meteoric speed. Time travel might make it possible, but I'm not so sure that'd be for the best.
143* Highly likely now that the eventd of XIV have undone his erasing himself in his XIII ending.
144
145[[WMG:We will finally get a ''King of Fighters'' game [[TakeThat with decent English voices]].]]
146* Guess that depends on their budget. Still, you'd think that if SNK can get Creator/NorioWakamoto (among other notable names in the industry) on board for a few of their games, their efforts at dubbing would be of a higher quality than what we've been subjected to for the most part.
147
148[[WMG:The next game after ''XIII'' will be a DreamMatchGame.]]
149... And we'll finally be able to play as the characters who were DummiedOut of ''XIII'', and we may be able to play as the [[PutOnABus American Sports Team]] again for the first time in years.
150* Those characters, if I'm not mistaken, would be Adel, Chang, Malin, Momoko, and Oswald, all of whom were playable in at least one previous installment of the Tales of Ash and thus would already be on the list for inclusion in a real dream match. As great as it'd be to see the American Sports Team back, that's more dependent on how the game would be structured. If it's like ''[='98=]''(''UM''), then probably not since they weren't in any of the games from ''2003''-''XIII''. If it's like ''2002'' and ''2002UM'', however, they might stand a chance, as those titles also included characters from previous arcs (i.e. Mature & Vice, the New Faces Team, Billy, Yamazaki, Geese, etc.) alongside all of the playable fighters from the current one. Of course, the biggest problem any of these kind of games faces is the sheer amount of time it'll take to redraw everyone in the new art style. Counting EX characters and the [=PS2=] exclusives in ''XI'', there's still a good 30-something characters uncounted for from the Tales of Ash alone (although [[http://www.fightersgeneration.com/games/kof-xiii-p5.html the trading cards]] for ''XIII'' hint at not only a few of the missing guys from this arc, but the likes of Geese, Heidern, Orochi, and Igniz, which may be evidence for a ''2002''-style dream match).
151* Jossed, ''XIV'' is the start of a new story arc, and possibly the long awaited Dragon Spirit Arc.
152
153[[WMG: A future StoryArc will revolve around a DeathSeeker character.]]
154Basically, the guy had gotten involved in something that caused him to become immortal (obviously), and now that he's [[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld several hundred years old]], he's grown tired of living, and now wishes to die. He holds the tournament(s) to find someone powerful enough to rid him of his immortality and kill him. The sub-bosses and regular bosses of his arc (other than him) are simply others that he had manipulated/befriended in an attempt to meet his own ends. Naturally, the arc ends with one of the teams finally granting his wish and pulling a MercyKill on him. Bonus points if his wish to actually die causes him to freak out [[BloodKnight Iori]], [[PsychoForHire Ryuji]], and [[WalkingTheEarth Silber]] (if the latter two become playable).
155* Or maybe it'll end with the guy [[spoiler:giving up his own existence in exchange for another's (this would be the closest thing he has to death). Whose existence is exchanged for his? None other than Ash Crimson. His explanation is that his time was up centuries ago, but [[SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments Ash still had his whole life ahead of him]]]]. (Note: Yes, I realize how little sense it makes and just how obscene it sounds.)
156
157[[WMG:We will meet the originators of Rugal's other moves.]]
158We already know that he copied the Reppuken and Kaiser Wave techniques from Geese and Krauser, respectively, so maybe the rest of his moves were also copied from others? This theory is based upon the fact that Rugal was originally meant to [[DittoFighter copy your moves as they're used against him]] in '94, but was ultimately dropped, and the inclusion of those two moves were a nod to that concept.
159* Dark Barrier ''could'' possibly be based off of Athena's Psycho Reflector, though it's dubious unless Rugal could mimic fighting technique simply by [[AwesomenessByAnalysis seeing them in action]]. Likewise, Mature's Heaven's Gate DM could have been the basis of Gigantic Pressure (a touch more believable, as Mature was one of his secretaries, although that would imply he fought Mature at some point off-screen).
160
161[[WMG:The Tales of Ash saga isn't done yet.]]
162Despite Ash managing to more or less kill Saiki, the other members of Those From the Past are still around. [[spoiler:Shion]] appears in XIII's [[TheStinger Stinger]], Shroom and Rimelo were still hanging around last we heard, and Botan is seen walking amidst a crowd in XIII's ending. Not to mention the fact that there appears to be even more members than those faced in the games. Maybe the next game will deal with them trying to resurrect Saiki and/or attempt to bring about his goal?
163* WordOfGod says ''XIII'' was the conclusion of Ash's story, in line with the previously-established convention of three canonical games per arc, followed by a "{{dream match|Game}}" (though ''[[ObviousBeta XII]]'' likely messed up the pattern for the Tales of Ash). However, that doesn't mean leftover plot points can't resurface in the next saga. Then again, seeing as there's still no clear sign of the Hizoku/Dragon Spirit subplot (introduced way back in ''[='99=]'' and ''2000'', with Ron implying the latter to be a really big deal) coming to the fore, piling on more story threads [[LeftHanging that'll probably never be resolved]] could prove unsatisfying. And either way, the members not named Mukai, Shion, Magaki, or Saiki may just end up being TheUnfought until the end of time.
164
165[[WMG:The American Sports Team are the canonical winners of the ''King of Fighters '94'' tournament.]]
166In their team ending, Brian had decided to go back home, and Heavy D! and Lucky had decided to continue street fighting. The reason they hadn't reappeared in any of the subsequent games (minus '''98'') is because they [[FridgeLogic simply decided not to partake in any of the other tournaments]].
167* I'm pretty sure that the canon ''KOF '94'' winners were the Japan Team. Otherwise it wouldn't make sense for them to have the only pre-FinalBoss talk that includes a character non-related to Rugal's entourage: [[spoiler:the one where Kyo finds his father Saisyu gravely injured after he loses to Rugal... and is the basis for Saisyu becoming a BrainwashedAndCrazy sub-boss in ''KOF '95''.]]
168** OP here: Yes, I know that Team Japan are the canonical winners, I was simply coming up with an explanation for the US Team's PutOnABus status.
169
170[[WMG:The VERY final ''King of Fighters'' game's boss will be [[spoiler:Rugal.]]]]
171And they reveal that they were NotQuiteDead and were simply biding their time until they were powerful enough to rule the world, and that it was simply a clone that was defeated in [[spoiler:''[='95=]'']].
172
173[[WMG:[[OriginalGeneration Nameless]] will become a canon character in ''The King of Fighters'' games.]]
174If we ever get around to the [[AbortedArc Dragon Spirit Arc]], it could be revealed that one of NESTS' remnants is Nameless. He will be working alongside Ron because Ron promised that he'll resurrect Isolde if Nameless did what he was told. The game's ending could have it to where Nameless realizes that he had been lied to, and that Ron didn't plan on holding up his end of the deal, but instead had planned on killing Nameless once he got the Dragon Spirit. When Ron's at the player team's mercy, he pleads with Nameless to help him. Nameless either denies Ron any help, or he kills Ron. Either way, [[DownerEnding he realizes that Isolde will never be brought back from the dead]]. As he walks away, he tells the now-concerned player team to just go home and forget about him.
175
176[[WMG: SNK will do something ''big'' for the series in 2014.]]
1772014 is ''The King of Fighters''' 20th anniversary. My guess would be that it will be a HUGE Dream Match game that encompasses all of the games in the main series. I mean, what better way to celebrate [[MilestoneCelebration 20 years of]] ''[[MilestoneCelebration King of Fighters]]''?
178* The cast of ''XIII'' would remain, with the need of a huge balancing act. Here are some new (probable) teams:
179** Boss Team: Geese Howard, Rugal Bernstein and Igniz.
180** Second Southtown Team: Rock Howard, Kain Heinlein and Billy Kane.
181** VideoGame/SamuraiShodown Team: Haohmaru, Nakoruru, and Genjuro.
182** Ash Team: Ash Crimson, Oswald and (*insert original character here*).
183** Orochi Team: Saiki, Orochi and Mukai.
184*** Please make this true, a pachislot machine is not enough.
185*** The idea is certainly within the realm of possibility, but whether it happens this year is the real question. As mentioned above, redrawing the characters is a vastly time-consuming effort, taking 16-17 months for 10-11 artists to finish a single fighter. SNK decided to switch to hand-drawn, higher resolution sprites around 2005/2006, and they ended up with the smallest playable roster in the series when ''XII'' was released for consoles in 2009 [[note]]22, lower than ''[='94=]''[='s=] count of 24 and less than half of ''XI''[='s=] 47 characters in the [=PS2=] version[[/note]]. Two or so years later, we received an additional 14 for ''XIII'', though five of them [[note]]Hwa Jai, Saiki, Flames Iori, NESTS-Style Kyo, and Mr. Karate[[/note]] were {{Palette Swap}}s. Going by the ''XIII''-styled trading cards, we know that some of the suggested parties are in the works, but how far along are they? And what about the 30+ characters from ''2003'' and ''XI'' who missed out on ''XIII''? As for the various pachislot games (and that ''VideoGame/{{VideoGame/Theatrhythm|FinalFantasy}}''-style ''KOF'' mobile game), that's probably what SNK hopes will generate the revenue that will undoubtedly go right back into development costs.
186** Jossed. Nothing major was released in 2014, and we wouldn't get ''XIV'' for another two years.
187
188[[WMG:Luong is going to betray Kim and Gang-Il]]
189
190It is a bit too convenient for Gang-Il to pick up this sultry and slightly more sadistic woman as his girlfriend and bring him to Kim's team. My guess is that she could be a lackey of Xanadu, the same guy who yanked Chang and Choi from Kim, and make it so she got picked up by Gang-Il who is perverted, and Xanadu could probably be counting on that, in order to bring down Kim's team for whatever reason. In other words, she's TheMole for Xanadu. Luong has the makings of a sexy bad guy after all.
191
192[[WMG:Nakoruru could be staying in the KOF World permanently]]
193
194Lately, her involvement in VideoGame/SamuraiShodown, if it isn't a prequel of her death in ''2'', has been... shall we say, gratuitous, using the excuse of 'because she is a NatureSpirit, she could be appearing anytime'. Besides, she already set Rimururu up as her successor in her world about the whole nature protector thing, and her staying would halt Rimururu from developing on her own. She would learn to familiarize herself to the new world, bond with her teammates Love Heart and Muimui, and considering that this might be about the Dragon Spirit that Muimui could be involved a bit, Nakoruru will have more reasons to stay, and when the arc ended, she might end up taking the IChooseToStay option and protect nature in this timeline, assured that Rimururu will do the job fine in the old world.
195
196This might have the side effect of Nakoruru no longer appearing in VideoGame/SamuraiShodown, she's being transported for a permanent stay the KOF world.
197
198[[WMG:Possible characters for XV (Possible spoilers)]]
199
200Because of the ending of XIV, namely [[spoiler:Verse exploding and the souls inside him scattering across the globe, among them being Orochi and Ash Crimson]], not to mention his win quotes implying that [[spoiler:he has the souls of Rugal, Igniz, either Krizalid or Original Zero, and possibly Gaidel inside him]], some of those are ought to be playable in the sequel. In no particular order:
201* Ash
202* Rugal
203* Krizalid
204* Gaidel
205* Igniz
206* A Samurai Shodown villain
207
208[[WMG:Nakoruru is going to have a serious setback in the next game]]
209
210Here's the thing. One of the things Nakoruru struggle with and succeeded resisting in the ''Samurai Shodown'' verse is that she had to deny all earthly pleasures, setting aside her selfish desires to live like a normal girl. Well, what happened after Verse's defeat? [[spoiler:She declared a vacation for Another World's Team and felt closer enough to be fulfilling her repressed desires to live like a normal girl, even if it is to wait and stand ready until the next step of the Verse saga.]] I don't think Mother Nature is that all forgiving and would see this as a violation of their contract, so by the next game, Nakoruru would be quite depowered and she will have to make it with her own effort and less nature power to deal with the next enemy, until she learns to re-assert her dedication... or [[WowingCthulhu impressing Mother Nature itself about how she can work out with just this.]]
211
212[[WMG:Xanadu was crazy ''before'' going to jail]]
213It has been all but outright stated that Xanadu was once a cult leader, and from his dialogue and quote it can be guessed that he is one of those cults leader whom treated his organization as an actual religion and legitimately believed his own preachings instead of the more commonly seen conman that either suckered people with his own charisma and/or eventually started believing his own BS due to the power trip. Because whatever crimes he committed while cult leader were just ''that'' heinous, an insanity plea was off the table from the get-go and was hauled off it jail. Xanadu's time while in the clink was presumably ''not'' kind to his already whacked psyche, and the state we see him in XIV he's basically at rock bottom: Only speaks in barely coherent gibberish, only comprehends reality just enough to be actually aware of others, and just a tiny hair breadth's away from being a feral animal.
214
215[[WMG: Possible new team compositions for XV and story reasonings (spoiler warning)]]
216Team Anti-Orochi:
217* Leona
218* Gaidel
219* Ash Crimson
220
221Due to [[spoiler:Verse exploding and various {{Big Bad}}s having come back from the dead as a result]], the entire world is kind of thrown into chaos from the sudden rise of various {{BlackShirt}}s, whether fanatic worshipers of Orochi or sleeper and/or hiding loyal NESTS agents. Whether these minions are going into bloody open warfare with each other and/or causing wanton destruction, the situation is forcing all the various military and police organizations to be stretched thin in dealing with the insanity. The Ikari Warriors are no exception. Both Ralph and Clark are unable to participate in the newest KoF due to them needing to actively assist in rounding up all the {{BlackShirt}}s, leaving Leona as the only veteran. However, she is teamed up with two new volunteers who are throwing in there expertise on Orochi to help on half of the problem.
222
223The first is Gaidel, Leona's birth father. Despite no longer wanting to fight anymore, he understands that violence is probably the only real solution and wishes to actually fight alongside his daughter, hoping the reconnect. The second is Ash Crimson, taking advantage of this new timeline [[spoiler:where he never actually existed in the first place]] in order to give himself a fresh start and become more a legitimate good guy. [[ReformedButNotTamed He'll still be a colossal troll, just not an actively malicious one]].
224
225Team Anti-NESTS:
226* Sylvia Paula Paula
227* Angel
228* Whip
229
230The second team assembled by Heidern exclusively to handle the threat of NESTS, consisting entirely of former NESTS agents of whom inside information may be valuable.
231
232Team Korea:
233* Kim
234* Chang
235* Choi
236
237Yup. Chang and Choi are finally back under Kim's tutelage (read: heel), now worked twice as hard as before, mostly due to Kim's utter disappoint at the shenanigans they pulled after only a ''week'' of being unsupervised. [[spoiler:He would have work them thrice as hard, but he's secretly thanking the two crooks for giving him an excuse to be away from Gang-li and Luong.]]
238
239Team US Sports:
240* Heavy D!
241* Lucky
242* Brian Battler
243
244Honestly, the developers would have to be utter morons NOT to let guys back in after years of being absent, especially for its 15th installment! Anyway, the reason the Sports Team finally gets another shot at the tournament is basically the global war between Orochi and NESTS is scaring off and distracting enough competitors to thin the potential herd as it were.
245
246Team Women Fighters:
247* King
248* Mai
249* Blue Mary
250
251Blue Mary returns to the KoF to join with friends Mai and King due to her investigations into conflict.
252
253Team Grand Masters:
254* Gang-li
255* Mr. Karate
256* New Character
257
258Takuma very well knows that his days as a legitimate fighter are up, having been putting his body through constant rigor and battle way more than should actually be healthy. Due to this, and how the world is almost burning from the war between Orochi and NESTS, he decided that now would be the perfect time for one last grand fight. Once more, for the last time, donning the identity of Mr. Karate, he assembled two other old masters, Gang-li and a mysterious masker newcomer, to join him for what may be his final tournament before permanent retirement. [[spoiler:The masked newcomer will be revealed to actually be Jeff Bogard, another of the many souls released and brought back to life due to Verse's destruction.]]
259
260Team Mexico:
261* Ramon
262* King of Dinosaurs
263* Vanessa
264
265Vanessa fills in for Angel on the team when the latter joins the Anti-NESTS team, and the team in general now enters as a cover to investigate the goings of the Orochi vs. NESTS war, as well as possibly Ron's activities. The King of Dinosaurs is still there as a means of further strengthening said cover, the man's HamAndCheese Heel persona as a perfect ObfuscatingStupidity.
266
267Team Villain:
268* Jenet
269* Xanadu
270* Earthquake
271
272Infamous pirate Bonne Jenet enters the KOF tournament once again, and once again for the prize money but also due to boredom as the current EvilVersusEvil conflict has made robbing people far too easy, as its really like looting then actual stealing. In order to complete, she decides to create her own team, the first being Xanadu after the crazed villain after un(?)intentionally ditching Chang and Choi when Kim came knocking. The second choice comes from the rather unexpected return of Earthquake and his gang from the realm of Makai.
273
274After a couple of months of trying to plunder the riches of Makai, Earthquake soon came to the realization that there ''were'' no real treasure to plunder to being with, mostly due to.....ya know.....Makai being essentially ''a freakin' HELL DIMENSION''. Disappointed and annoyed, Earthquake decides to round up his gang, wich now included a couple of demons, and return to the land of the living......only to find [[YearOutsideHourInside its now the 21st century]]. Thankfully for him, Jenet managed to rescue Earthquake and his gang before he killed himself with dealing with the modern day police. She manages to acclimate the ninja to the far future quite well, and after some sweet talking and sexy motions, convinces Earthquake to join her for the next tournament. Conflict soon arises in the team, however, as Earthquake soon realizes that he's actually taking orders from a woman who's not even a real criminal (rich brat who's into piracy as a hobby) for essentially ''free,'' but he finds himself unable to just ditch her since all this modern technology, particularly all these modern day guns scare the begeebus out of him, leaving him in a rather undesirable situation.
275
276The inter team conflict can be used as hilarious callback to the infamous PiratesVersusNinjas conflict, as well as possibly [[spoiler:reveal that the cult Xanadu was implied to lead worshipped]] '''''[[spoiler:OROCHI]]'''''.
277
278Team Evil:
279* Freeman
280* Ryuji Yamazaki
281* [[spoiler:Mizuki]]
282
283This team will be notable as ''none'' of the members were given formal invitations to compete, and in fact used forged invitations to compete. However, considering the massive war between two competing criminal organizations at the moment, nobody really cares so much. The team consists entirely of psychotic murderers who are merely taking advantage of the chaos to indiscriminately murder people left and right, in particular [[spoiler:Mizuki]], whom relishes the insanity going as it reminds [[spoiler:her]] of the Warring States period of feudal Japan. The new designation is to differentiate between "Villains" and "Evil," as while "Villains" are merely bad guys who break the law, "Evil" are just plain sick bastards. [[spoiler:May or may not be revealed that Freeman could be an AWOL NESTS agent.]]
284
285Team South Town:
286* Geese Howard
287* Billy Kane
288* Eiji Kisaragi
289
290Geese take an intense in the ensuing Orochi vs. NESTS conflict if only because the whole thing is messing with his operations in South Town. The city being nearly destroyed during the NESTS saga already put a major damper on everything, and Geese does NOT need this war going on just when things were heading back into normalcy. Geese brings along Billy again to compete, but also brings along ninja assassin Eiji Kisaragi, mostly because Geese finds the ninja to be ''infinitely'' more reliable than Yamazaki and to indulge the ninja in allowing him to finally destroy the Sakazaki once and for all. Meanwhile, Hein is left in charge of South Town while Geese is gone.
291
292Team Blanctorche:
293* Shen Woo
294* Duo Lon
295* Kukri
296
297Sent by Emily Blanctorche to mostly keep track of Ash and his activities and essentially cover him whenever things get too much for him, as Ash is now considerably weaker and must now put actual effort into fighting. We'll also learn more about Kukri, and why in particular he hates Shun'ei whom he outright despises for no apparent reason.
298
299Team Orochi:
300* Orochi
301* Rugal
302* Goenitz
303
304One set of the massive BigBadEnsemble for XV. Orochi is back, but thanks to [[spoiler:being resurrected from Verse's destruction]] instead of being properly released, he is severely weakened to the point he is incapable of possessing able bodied fighters and must rely on either weaker flesh hosts or even automatons. Despite this, Orochi is still extremely powerful and not to be taken lightly. Rugal and Goenitz are his two Co-Dragons, the latter in charge of whipping up the enthralled minions into a frenzy and recruiting new ones while the former is charge of the business and criminal aspects.
305
306Interestingly, the two CoDragons will have completely opposing dynamics with Orochi. Rugal is clearly the DragonWithAnAgenda and plans to eventually pull a Starscream on Orochi, but Orochi treats the man is with staggering amounts of respect and trust almost to the point of absurd GenreBlindness despite him not having Orochi's blood in him. Goenitz, on the other hand, is fanatically loyal to Orochi and willing to die for his God, but Orochi treats the man like utter crap, mostly due to Goenitz having the means of freeing Orochi the first time ''much, MUCH earlier'' than expected. '''[[EpicFail TWICE.]]''' Does not matter if there were back up plans, the fact remains Goenitz failed when circumstances literally served him victory on a platter.
307
308Team NESTS:
309* Krizalid
310* Igniz
311* Nameless
312
313Another set of the massive BigBadEnsemble for XV. The three most powerful members of NESTS come together to revitalize the organization[[spoiler:, two of them right after being resurrected from Verse's destruction]]. Despite having both the resources and capability to utterly crush Orochi and take over the world, the thing that's holding back the organization is the heavily conflicting end goals among the three leaders: Krizalid wants to continue the work and ultimate goal of the original Nest; Igniz wants to destroy everything not loyal to NESTS, as he given up trying to become God and now wants to become the Devil; and Nameless doesn't give a crap and is actually having his own plans on the side.
314
315This team would be able to give the developers the slack they need to flesh out NESTS as an organization plotwise as well as possibly fill up the plotholes left when K9999 was given the RetGone boot.
316
317[[WMG:Possible boss character for XV]]
318
319It's... [[spoiler:Rugal being possessed by Mizuki, due to both of them stored in Verse. This doesn't redeem him, but it would make a very scary combination. Rugal is already evil, but by getting possessed by Mizuki/Ambrosia, this would increase his power tenfold. And unlike Orochi, Mizuki/Ambrosia doesn't run on BlueAndOrangeMorality, she'll just as likely to let Rugal loose with his power, considering him the finest example of the evils of mankind. In addition, both of them are notorious as the company's biggest cases of SNKBoss. Combine them and you get not only a very evil character, but also SNK trying to top their SNKBoss credentials.]]
320* '''WORSE''' than Evil Ash? OhCrap!!
321
322[[WMG:Antonov's CigarChomper tendencies]]
323
324Consider this: Antonov is always, ''always'' smoking cigars when fighting, the one exception to this rule being when he unleashes his [[LimitBreak ultimate attack.]] He also bills himself as an extremely powerful fighter, though he surprisingly [[AvertedTrope lacks]] the otherwise-omnipresent SNKBoss Syndrome. These two facts may simply be unrelated, and he may simply be flattering himself... or, much like [[VideoGame/FinalFight Cody]] and his handcuffs, his extreme smoking habit is a deliberate means of [[PowerLimiter limiting his power]] while fighting; and given the board's reaction to Antonov winning his own tournament in his ending, he has a good reason for doing so (that, and he seems like [[NiceGuy a good sport]] as far as SNK Bosses go).
325
326With this in mind, if he had an EX version in which he laid off the cigars entirely, his unfortunate opponent (i.e. you) would quickly and painfully find out that he is [[IAmNotLeftHanded Not Left Handed]] (or rather, his Senses Are Not Being Clouded By Smoke). They could even call him ''[[CallBack Serious Antonov]]'', or possibly ''No Smoking Antonov''. [[MythologyGag Billy Kane would approve.]]
327
328[[WMG:Possibilities of ''VideoGame/TheLastBlade'' characters getting into KOF via verse]]
329
330We might get rumors that Lee Rekka could be a DLC character as an extra for Another World Team. That or another Lee from Dragon Gal. However, with Verse's nature who's to say that the only past figure that was within him was just [[spoiler:Mizuki Rashoujin]]? There's a good chance some evil bastard that was vanquished by the Last Blade characters might be one of the souls gathered within Verse, most prominently, Setsuna. Considering the ending of Last Blade 2, it's safe to say that Setsuna failed his mission to keep Hell's Gate open, and because of his evil nature, there's no way that Kaede, Moriya or one of the Four Guardians (Kagami, Okina or Shigen) will leave this one alive, so he's killed in battle, and possibly return in the future trying to re-spread his reign of terror from the Bakumatsu era to the present day in the hypothetical XV.
331
332In addition, with information that it's not just evil people that gets absorbed (Jeff Bogard and Gaidel can attest), it also opens up for the possibility that Verse is also carrying one good soul that died in the whole Hell Gate Sealing event: The Sealing Maiden herself, Yuki. The fact that the Sealing Maiden lived means that probably Hell's Gate is in danger to open again in the present day, and Yuki might have to choose again: Go with the old way or find a new way (considering it's KOF, she might find other options). And if Shigen's ending in 2 is to be taken into account, there's also a chance that Shigen is also one of the souls within Verse (he died in his ending, and not exactly old age dying).
333
334If this is true, KOF would be even more of a melting pot of various fighting series SNK had.
335
336[[WMG: Rock was taken from an alternate timeline.]]
337
338As discussed numerous times, one of the main reasons behind Rock not appearing in the main series games is that ''KOF'' runs on ComicBookTime; if its assumed that the characters no longer age then Rock would have remained a child no older than 10 years old, preventing him from matching his age in ''Garou'' and be considered a regular participant.
339
340However, ''XIV'' has shown that characters outside the normal KOF timeline are fair game: the Another World team obviously being comprised of individuals from the distant past and in Love Heart's case, a whole new world; this is still without mentioning Verse being the culprit behind their arrival. As such, it would be fair to say that Verse had dragged in more than just Nakoruru, Mui Mui and Love Heart; a version of Rock hailing from the original ''Fatal Fury'' timeline (where Geese is dead and he would be ready to fight at the right age, for instance) could be on the table to at least preserve the passage of time (or in this case lack thereof) in the games.
341
342Plus, in this Troper's humble opinion it'd be providing more interesting interactions: the Fatal Fury-affiliated characters like Terry, Geese, Andy, Joe and Mai would question why Rock's aged up really fast while Rock would have to deal with knowing he has an alternate younger self and Geese being alive.
343
344[[WMG: Alternatively, the characters ''have'' aged, but not by much]]
345
346In the run-up to KOFXIV's release, SNK said on Twitter that it would take place a few years after XIII. But of course, [[ComicBookTime nobody seems to look any older]]...but if it's only a two or three year age difference, we can't really expect ''too'' much to change. Also, notice how Rock looks a tad bit younger than he does in past appearances. Perhaps SNK chose to age everyone up just a few years, but only show it through Rock (who was 12 in the Ash Saga and 15 in the present day)?
347
348[[WMG: Nakoruru will be horribly nerfed story-wise come XV]]
349
350Here's the deal: Nakoruru canonically made a contract with the spirit of Kamui Kotan to be the guardian of nature, to forsake earthly happiness. This was actually one of her main characterization and dillema of hers in the ''VideoGame/SamuraiShodown'' series. Her ending in the ''64'' series imply that she certainly had selfish desires to live like a normal girl, but her sense of duty prevailed over that.
351
352And what did she do after the defeat of Verse? While she might have a point that she still has to clean up Verse's mess, she 'waits' by indulging things that could be considered 'having fun' or 'acting like girls in her physical age'. Sightseeing, having fun, etc. It may be heartwarming and all for her to take a break but... the eternal spirit of Kamui Kotan might see it as a violation to her contract that she kept throughout her home series. And nature doesn't fuck around.
353
354So perhaps somewhere in XV, either her ending or early story, Nakoruru gets a visit from the spirit of nature who is displeased with how carefree she became, violating their past deal, and stripped her away from her powers or immortality, rendering her nerfed so she's no longer the almighty immortal spirit anymore.
355
356[[WMG: Nakoruru will have to deal with Orochi hassling her come XV.]]
357Nakoruru is a protector/servant of nature. That's her job. Orochi insists it's the will of the planet/Gaia/Nature. It also wishes to exterminate humanity, much like Rashojin Mizuki/Ambrosia. Nakoruru has has 'darkside' problems before(Rera). Both Orochi and Mizuki were released from Verse. When the time comes to deal with Mizuki and Ambrosia again, Orochi will start talking to her.
358
359[[WMG:Krohnen is K9999, but under a new identity]]
360Both characters share the same style of outfit and very similar appearances. It's entirely possible that after the events of ''2001'' and K9999 went on the run, he changed his face, gave himself a new name rather than going by his code name, and enhanced his body with cybernetics to help control his powers in order to avoid the fallout of NESTS's collapse after the death of Igniz. At some point a reference to his old identity will be made, but as a nod to SNK's stance on the matter of who he was designed as a copy of, he will brush it off and say [[ThatManIsDead that isn't him anymore]].
361* [[spoiler: Confirmed via Team Krohnen's story prologue and ending.]]
362
363[[WMG:Nameless will become a DLC character in XV.]]
364Considering that Krohnen [[spoiler:has been confirmed to be K9999]] and is now on the run from NESTS, it's highly probable that his SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute will be sent after him in order to settle the score via an UpgradeVsPrototypeFight, most likely with [[IHaveYourWife Isolde being used as a bargaining chip]]. And predictably, SNK will [[LampshadeHanging allude to the circumstances]] between the two and have them come to blows both in a Destiny Battle and in specific win quotes:
365
366->'''Krohnen (against Nameless)''': You really thought you could [[SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute take my place]], didn't you?
367->'''Nameless (against Krohnen)''': I'm afraid your path ends here. Farewell, [[spoiler:K9999]].
368
369[[WMG:Elisabeth does feel romantically about Ash]]
370Probably not that strongly but the inclination is there. Her desire to revive Ash leans towards unresolved feelings she has towards him. If it was truly platonic then, while it might be hard to accept, letting his sacrifice remain would have been enough. Elisabeth has some personal need to have Ash back in her life, if even just to know he still exists.
371
372[[WMG:The King of Fighters will eventually include [[GuestFighter Guest Characters]] from outside SNK.]]
373Team [[Franchise/StreetFighter Street Fighter]]
374* Ryu
375* Ken Masters
376* Chun-Li
377* Team [[VideoGame/StreetFighterIII New Generation]]
378** Alex
379** Sean Matsuda
380** Ibuki
381* Team [[VideoGame/StreetFighter6 World Tour]]
382** Luke Sullivan
383** Jamie Siu
384** Kimberly Jackson
385
386Team [[VideoGame/{{Tekken}} Iron Fist]]
387* Jin Kazama
388* Asuka Kazama
389* Ling Xiaoyu
390
391Team [[VideoGame/GuiltyGear Guilty Gear]]
392* Sol Badguy
393* Ky Kiske
394* Baiken
395
396Team [[VideoGame/DeadorAlive Dead or Alive]]
397* Kasumi
398* Ayane
399* Ryu Hayabusa
400
401Team [[VideoGame/FightingEXLayer Fighting Layer]]
402* Skullomania
403* Darun Mister
404* Blair Dame
405
406Team [[VideoGame/SoulSeries Soulcalibur]]
407* Kilik
408* Maxi
409* Xianghua
410
411Team Creator/{{Sunsoft}} Fighters
412* [[VideoGame/WakuWaku7 Rai Bakuoh]]
413* Rouwe
414* Bonus-Kun
415
416Team [[Franchise/MortalKombat Lin Kuei]]
417* [[VideoGame/MortalKombat1 Scorpion]] (Kuai Liang)
418* Sub-Zero (Bi-Han)
419* Smoke (Tomas Vrbada)
420
421[[WMG: Other SNK-based teams and how they could fit in.]]
422Team [[VideoGame/KingOfTheMonsters King of Monsters]] (obviously changed to be more human-sized)
423* Super Geon (a heel wrestler like King of Dinosaurs, but with a dragon motif)
424* Atomic Guy (a tokusatsu suit actor and "local hero")
425* Cyber Woo (a secret NESTS project in an effort to get combat data for military robots)
426
427Team [[VideoGame/MetalSlug Metal Slug]] (all three work with Heidern, but this time take a more active role)
428* Marco Rossi
429* Tarma Roving
430* Fio Germi
431
432Team [[VideoGame/MetalSlug Rebel Army]] (the aforementioned reason Team Metal Slug takes a more active role)
433* Donald Morden
434* Allen O'Neil
435* Abul Abbas
436
437Team [[VideoGame/SavageReign Fu]][[VideoGame/KizunaEncounter 'un]] (this one speaks for itself, it's kind of like Team Garou)
438* Rosa
439* Kim Il Sung
440* Sho Hayate
441
442A new Team Another World (this one features characters not from Samurai Shodown or Panchinko Games that don't really fit in with KOF's setting)
443* A character from [[VideoGame/WorldHeroes World Heroes]] Presumably Jeanne, since she appeared in SNK Heroines
444* A character from [[VideoGame/TheLastBlade The Last Blade]] Presumably Kaede, due to his god-like powers which Nakoruru also has
445* A character from a lesser known game
446
447[[WMG: Characters who could be Solo Units.]]
448* Mars People
449** They have fighting game appearances already, plus they could serve as a foil to Team Metal Slug and Rebel Army.
450* [[VideoGame/NeoGeoBattleColiseum Yuki or Ai]]
451* Athena ([[VideoGame/{{Athena}} The Goddess]])
452
453[[WMG: XVI will be the closing chapter of the Shun-ei Saga, and XVII will be a Dream Match]]
454If the series continues as it is, the current story arc will follow the same formula. The only outliers are the Orochi Saga (Which has 4 story entries if you count '94) and the Ash Saga (Which had it's Dream Match released before it's final chapter).

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