The King of Fighters '97
Fourth KOF entry concluding the Orochi Saga storyline.
The King of Fighters '97, often shortened as KOF '97, is a 1997 fighting video game developed and published by SNK for the Neo Geo arcade and home platforms. It is the fourth game in The King of Fighters series and the last game in the 'Orochi Saga' storyline, which began in The King of Fighters '96. The game introduced new playable characters, including four brand new characters (Shingo, Yashiro, Shermie, and Chris), two existing characters from SNK's Fatal Fury series (Yamazaki and Blue Mary), and several alternate versions of characters. The character Orochi appears only as the final boss and is not a standard playable character.
- Developer
- SNK
- Publisher
- SNK
- Platform
- Neo Geo arcade and home, Neo Geo CD, PlayStation, Sega Saturn
- Release Year
- 1997
- Genre
- Fighting
- Series
- The King of Fighters
- Director
- Toyohisa Tanabe (battle system designer); original director Masanori Kuwasashi credited
Lore & Background
The King of Fighters '97 continues the narrative of the Orochi Saga, focusing on the servants of the demon Yamata no Orochi, also known as the 'Will of Gaia', who plan to revive their master by gathering energy and sacrifices from fighters in the KOF tournament. The game's plot involves the Sacred Treasures Team (Kyo, Iori, and Chizuru) confronting Orochi, with Kyo's girlfriend Yuki revealed as a descendant of the goddess Kushinadahime, meant to be offered to revive Orochi. The game features multiple endings depending on the team chosen, including a separate storyline event that triggers a one-on-one fight between Iori and Kyo, which is not directly tied to the Hero Team winning the tournament.
Reader's Guide
The King of Fighters '97 is significant as the conclusion of the Orochi Saga, a storyline that began in The King of Fighters '95. It introduced two new playing styles, Advanced and Extra, which allowed players to choose between mechanics from KOF '96 and earlier games. The game sold well and was followed by The King of Fighters '98, which includes most of the Orochi arc cast in a non-canonical tournament. Its legacy includes a visual novel titled The King of Fighters: Kyo, a handheld game King of Fighters R-1, and a spin-off light novel The King of Fantasy. The combined ports sold over 336,000 copies in Japan.
Did You Know?
- KOF '97 is the first game in the series to be directed by its battle system designer Toyohisa Tanabe.
- The game introduced two new playing styles: Advanced mode and Extra mode.
- Orochi Iori was originally meant to be the final boss but was changed to a mid-boss.
- The combined ports sold over 336,000 copies in Japan.
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