The King of Fighters
| Video game fandom | |
|---|---|
| Name | The King of Fighters |
| Japanese name | Katakana: ザ・キング・オブ・ファイターズ Hiragana: きんぐおぶふぁいたーず Romanji: Za Kingu Obu Faitāzu |
| Abbreviation(s) | KOF |
| Developer(s) | SNK |
| Publisher(s) | SNK |
| Release date | 25 August 1994 |
| Platform(s) | Originally Neo Geo Arcades, later multi-platform |
| Genre(s) | Fighting Game |
| External link(s) | On Wikipedia Official Website |
| See also | Fatal Fury, its precursor, which originated the in-game tournament the King of Fighters |
| Related articles on Fanlore. | |
This article or section needs expansion. |
The King of Fighters is a Japanese fighting video game series created by SNK in 1994. It acts somewhat similarly for SNK's characters as Super Smash Brothers does for Nintendo's characters, as fighters featured in KOF come from an assortment of SNK's lineup. In the first game of the series, fighters came from Fatal Fury, Art of Fighting, Ikari Warriors and Psycho Soldier. Later installments feature mostly characters original to KOF.
Although not very popular in comparison to its fighting game contemporaries such as Tekken and Street Fighter, the series has a dedicated fandom, especially in Latin America and Japan. it has been adapted into anime, manga, manhwa and many a spinoff series.
Fannish History
Instead of 1 vs. 1 matches between players, KOF's signature play style instead has fighters in trios which can be picked as a set, or as individuals, to construct 3 vs. 3 matches between players. This formula has been with KOF since the first installment, though the formula may change from game to game, particularity during the NESTS saga of the 2000s.
KOF has always had an emphasis on story as well as a priority on interesting gameplay and character concepts. Characters from otherwise different universes often have dynamics with one another and the overall setting of KOF, creating a since of world-building not seen in similar fighting games. In fanworks, characters are often portrayed as being a part of their canonical trio. Since these trios either stay consistent or are shaken up with each new installment, fanworks often reflect on these changes than not.
New installments for main-series games are part of larger "arcs", which often span three games (though the latest installment has shaken this trend.) Each arc introduces new heroes, villains, and of course, fighters. Despite the hype often surrounding these new fighters, most fanworks for KOF feature mainly its core cast, introduced in the late 90s.
Since the late 1990s, most of KOF's fanac comes from Latin America and Japan. KOF's Latin American popularity came from the wider availability of KOF's arcade cabinets in the region during the 90s and 00s.[1] SNK has embraced these fans by having press releases in Mexico City and adding Latino/a characters into the series such as Ramón. Instead of conventions, KOF is at EVO, Combo Breaker and Community Effort Orlando to name a few events. Most influential fanworks for KOF are from Spanish-speaking KOF fandom, including for the juggernaut BL pairing of KOF, Iori x Kyo. Brazilian Portuguese-speaking KOF fandom is also sizable for similar reasons.
In 2018, the Benimaru x Freeman Boys' Love Doujinshi Love Macabre was released. Since Benimaru x Freeman is very much a rarepair, this doujinshi has its own microfandom among fans of webtoons.
Example/Notable Fanac
Fancommunities/Fanevents
DeviantArt
- KoF-Fans, a club on DeviantArt.
- KOF-couples-fanclub, All KOF couples are Welcome, a club on DeviantArt for shippers.
- KOF-4MainCharacters, Heros of All KOF games, a club on DeviantArt.
- KOF-Boys-Fans, All your Guys in KOF, a club on DeviantArt.
- kofgirls, a club on DeviantArt.
- KOF Archive[2], a multi-lingual page with over 3.4k followers as of December 2023 for posting fan translations of Japanese-only KOF material into Spanish and English. Ran by miauneko.
- Personajes de SNK que serian miembros LGBT+[3], a Spanish queer-focused page with nearly 1k followers.
- Waifus De KOF[4], a Spanish fanart page with over 22k followers. Somewhat infamous among KOF's Facebook-based fandom for posting mainly AI Generated Content and posting cuando ves los dibujos que el fandom de kof sube a twitter/ X con el[5], a post shaming some artists contributing to KOFtober in 2023. They also have a Twitter account.
Other
- /r/kof[6], a large subreddit for the game.
- KOF had some boards on the Shoryuken Forums[7].
- The King of Fighters Club[8], a spot on Fanpop.
- KOFtober, an Inktober-inspired event for KOF fandom. Primarily on Twitter.
- kingoffighters, a community on LiveJournal
- kofanatico[Dead link], a Spanish mailing list on Yahoo! Groups
Fan Fic
- Blood by General Junos, most favorited fic for KOF on FanFiction.Net. Leona has never truly gained control over her Orochi blood and has lived in fear of it ever since 1997. When a new power seems to suddenly surface from within, she finally realizes she needs help. - Iori x Leona. Six chapters long, abandoned, and written in English.
- Forsaken Memories by miauneko, most favorited fic for KOF on Archive of Our Own. Iori has lost his memories, but there's something he'll never forget. This is an Iori x Kyo fic. Twenty-five chapters long, completed, and written in Spanish.
- Su sutil generosidad
Archives
- IorixKyo Fanfic Archive[9], an archive of many Iori x Kyo and Geese x Billy fics by miauneko. As of 2023, it is still actively maintained.
Zines
- BillyCentric[10], a 2023 Spanish zine for Billy Kane.
Websites
- Iskofxvsmatchmakingstillbroken.com, a fan-created informational hub for fans' negative reactions to The King of Fighters XV's initially broken matchmaking system.
References/Further Reading
The King of Fighters (series) on SNK FANDOM wikia
- ^ Why King Of Fighters Dominates Latin America's Fighting Game Scene by John Learned on Kotaku
- ^ https://www.facebook.com/kofarchive
- ^ https://www.facebook.com/RugalBichota
- ^ https://www.facebook.com/elyorisloco
- ^ Claro, como es fanart hecho con la habilidad propia, creatividad y el corazon y no imagenes cachondas producto del IA, es un asco dice
- ^ https://www.reddit.com/r/kof/
- ^ King of Fighters on SRK Forums Archive
- ^ https://www.fanpop.com/clubs/the-king-of-fighters
- ^ https://iorixkyo.orgfree.com/
- ^ Billy Kane Zine Announcement by Love Macabre