The King of Fighters 15is coming out soon, and it will continue the story started inThe King of Fighters 14. However, it has been nearly six years since that entry was released, and the story arcs can be hard to follow considering that gamers get bits and pieces from multiple playthroughs with different teams in the game. Furthermore, theKing of Fightersseries is known for its multiple story arcs, and how its crazy plot lines can last multiple entries in the series. To get fans caught up, a recap of the story so far inThe King of Fighters 15is needed.
King of Fighters' overarching narrative has a lot of connections to the previous story arcs in the series, as well as the ending toThe King of Fighters 13,and the entire plot ofThe King of Fighters 14.Spoilers ahead forThe King of Fightersfranchise.
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Before The King of Fighters 14
At the end of the 13th King of Fighters tournament, Ash Crimson sacrificed himself to seal away Saiki, the leader of the cult group known as “Those from the Past” or “Those from His Distant Land.” Following this cataclysmic event, an unknown entity began to form in the resulting ground zero.
Several years later, a confident billionaire named Antonov bought the rights to the King of Fighters tournament and proclaimed himself “the first champion.” Despite heavy push back from the board members of his company, the Antonov Corporation, Antonov decided tohost a new King of Fighters tournamentand sent out invites across the world to both new and familiar fighters, challenging teams to take his title.
The tournament is then held and the combatants fight. However, strange time anomalies sporadically appear. These include a young priestess named Nakoruru, who claims she time traveled fromthe Feudal Japan eraand entered the tournament to defeat a terrible malice she sensed through a crack in spacetime.
During The King of Fighters 14
At the tournament finals, the Japan Team, consisting of Kyo Kusanagi, Benimaru Kikaido, and Goro Daimon, faced off against Antonov for the championship, and easily bested him. This marked the first time the long-lasting team had won a KOF tournament since ’97. However, moments after Antonov’s defeat, the unknown entity reappears, destroying the stadium and killing many of the tournament’s spectators. Nakoruru identified the entity as “Wei Kamui” and confirms it’s the malice she sensed.
Shun’ei, member of the China Team (aka New Hero Team) with special powers he doesn’t have full control of, then collapsed as the entity attempted to take his powers. Although Terry and Andy Bogard wanted to help fight, the China team fought the mysterious entity themselves andShun’ei was ultimately victorious. Upon its defeat, the mysterious entity exploded and released an ominous mist across the world. The tournament then ended, and the fighters as well as the remaining survivors left the destroyed stadium.
The China Team’s other members - Tung Fu Rue, the Bogard brothers’ former sensei, and Shun’ei’s current master, and Meitenkun, Tung Fu Rue’s other pupil - contemplated what this means for Shun’ei and his powers. Shun’ei assured them that he can control his powers, despite what happened during the battle with the entity.Japan Team leader Kyo Kusanagithen spoke to Shun’ei and told them that a similar power was controlled by two other fighters, Iori Yagami and Leona Heidern.
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After The King of Fighters 14
Three days after the end of the tournament, commanding officer of the Ikari Warriors Heidern received information from Maxima, one of the members of the K’ team. Using his cyborg abilities, Maxima was able to gather data on the entity from the stadium ruins, including a yell the creature made during the battle with Shun’ei. Based on this, Heidern named the entity Verse.
Furthermore, Heidern and Maxima were also able to confirm thatsome fighters having long since been deadfrom previous tournaments have actually been resurrected. Heidern ordered a 24-hour surveillance of the resurrected and then talked to his adoptive daughter Leona, assuring her that her real father Gaidel has not been confirmed as one of the resurrected. She dismisses his concern, saying she isn’t worried.
Some of the resurrected fighters include Verse himself, who is discovered in the Australian Ayers Rock, Orochi, who is seen in Hungary, and Ash Crimson, who is found by Elizabeth Blanctorche and Kukri in the Ukraine Carpathian Mountains. He informed them that his soul was trapped within Verse along with many others, meaning there areresurrected fighters yet to be identified.
One that is known is Orochi, who itself is only able to materialize without a catalyst. Its original host body, Chris, was resurrected in a different location, so Kyo Kusanagi, Iori Yagami, and Chizuru Kagura (known as the three Sacred Treasures) were able to easily re-seal Orochi. However, Chris along with the other Heavenly Kings of Orochi Yashiro Nanakase and Shermie, have yet to be detected.
Before The King of Fighters 15
Meanwhile, the Ikari Warriors team are instructed to destroy Verse, who they suspect will show up at the tournament, as well as to apprehend and subdue Shun’ei. Heidern will also join the tournament alongside Dolores, who was recently also resurrected in the wake of Verse’s defeat, and Isla,a new fighter with the same powers as Shun’ei. Tung Fu Rue has opted out of the tournament, and the Japan team is unavailable, with Daimon busy with his dojo and Kyo teaming up with Iori and Chizuru. As such, Shun’ei and Meitenkun join Benimaru to form a new Hero Team. Antonov has since resigned from the Antonov corporation since rumors that he set up the events at the end of KOF 14 destroyed his reputation. He forms a new team and enters KOF 15 in order to redeem himself.
The Secret Agents team, comprising Blue Mary, Vanessa, and Luong, have agreed to work together to spy on various targets. Ash with Elizabeth and Kukri joins the tournament as a team under unknown circumstances. Maxima rejoins the K’ team, who are looking for Kula Diamond. She has joined a new team with a mysterious new fighter named Krohnen, who has ties to the organization that created them, NESTS.
The Fatal Fury team returns, stalwarts as always, and have joined for the thrill of the fight. The Art of Fighting team is back, this time with King instead of Yuri or Takuma Sakazaki, andhave also joined King of Fighters for the challenge. Finally, the Super Heroines team consists of female fighters who didn’t make the cut in the Fatal Fury or Art of Fighting teams, and Athena Asamiya, who got roped in haphazardly.
With that, the stage is set forKing of fighters 15. Fans are left with many questions, like wheter Verse will return during the new tournament, if it is the cause of the mysterious force interfering with the Orochi seal, and what will happen to the newly resurrected fighters. All of these questions and more will hopefully be answered in the latest title.
The King of Fighters 15will be released on February 17 for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.
