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
- Broken Base: KOF 2003 had a lot going against it upon its release, it was the last annual installment released on the Neo Geo, and the first one to be developed and published by SNK Playmore. It's also the first chapter of The Tales of Ash arc, Ash Crimson is a Base-Breaking Character due to his moral ambiguity and effeminate characterization, him being the protagonist was not well received by certain players. More than anything though there's the fact that it was released after KOF 2002, the tag based, fast paced gameplay that's reminiscent of Darkstalkers or Marvel vs. Capcom was seen as sacrilege to SNK purists and the Mexican fanbase, the latter of which puts 2002 above any other entry in the series, especially 2003.
- Contested Sequel: KOF 2003 is seen as a return to form after 2001 and 2002, its improved music and tag battle cited as highlights. On the other hand, many argue its lack of polish deems it one of the weaker entries in the series. Common complaints include bugs, balancing issues (particularly Duo Lon), and mechanics changes that make the aforementioned balance issues worse.
- Gameplay Derailment: The arcade version of KOF 2003 gives unusually short throw invincibility frames to characters getting on their feet. This creates 2003's own cross-up opportunity where a player recovering from hard knockdown has to guess whether their opponent will use a command grab on them or not (if they do, the player has to react precisely as KOF 2003 has much shorter time window to escape it than the other KOF games). Generally, this has negative effect on the meta, because this makes grapple characters like Daimon and Duo Lon, already strong on their own, even more busted.
- High-Tier Scrappy:
- Duo Lon has many deceptive Special Moves that can trick opponent with relative ease. His command grab is a combo starter like Iori's, except Duo Lon's has longer range. His special dash allows to switch direction in no time. He can stretch his limb to hit his opponent from distance, if they try to space from him. All of his moves can be chained into a combo. He's also the only character who moves behind his opponent in his Tag Attack, instead of moving in front of them like the others; if this happens in a corner, he then can start his infamous infinite
. It's no wonder tournaments ban him outright, and even in a casual match you'll get frowned upon if you use him without ever switching into others. - Daimon is a grappler, which means he benefits a lot from KOF 2003's grab cross-up, making him unstoppable once he gets a chance. His LDM is also a command grab that takes out more than half of a health bar, and is usually a guaranteed KO if you perform it at the end of a Tag Attack combo. If there's another banned character other than Duo Lon, it's Daimon.
- Duo Lon has many deceptive Special Moves that can trick opponent with relative ease. His command grab is a combo starter like Iori's, except Duo Lon's has longer range. His special dash allows to switch direction in no time. He can stretch his limb to hit his opponent from distance, if they try to space from him. All of his moves can be chained into a combo. He's also the only character who moves behind his opponent in his Tag Attack, instead of moving in front of them like the others; if this happens in a corner, he then can start his infamous infinite
- That One Attack: Duo Lon has Shaki Juuryuu. It's a rekka with two branches, both of which are incredibly powerful. The first branchnote ends in a Launcher Move, allowing for juggles or incredibly disorienting mixups involving his teleport. The second branch'snote ender deals a lot of hitstun, allowing it to link into light normals, which can in turn cancel into Shaki Juuryuu, where you can then... well, you can probably see where this is going. If that wasn't enough, all parts of it can be cancelled into his projectile or his teleport, making it incredibly safe on block.
