The King of Fighters '95

July 25, 1995

SNK

63/100IGDB

Genres

Fighting Arcade

Platforms

ArcadeNeo Geo AESPlayStation 3WiiSega Saturn

PlayStation

PlayStation Portable

Neo Geo CD

Age rating

This game is rated ESRB: Teen for Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol, Animated Violence and Animated Blood.

About

The King of Fighters '95 is a 1995 arcade and home console fighting game developed by SNK, and the second entry in the King of Fighters series following the 1994 original. It was released on the Neo Geo AES and Neo Geo CD, and notably became the first series installment to reach additional home platforms, with ports for the PlayStation and Sega Saturn; it later appeared on the PlayStation Portable and Wii through The King of Fighters Collection: The Orochi Saga in 2008. The game introduces Iori Yagami as the rival of protagonist Kyo Kusanagi, cementing Kyo's central role in the franchise going forward. Core gameplay carries over largely intact from its predecessor, but the title adds the "team edit" system, a lasting series feature that allows players to assemble a custom three-person roster from the full fighter roster rather than being restricted to preset teams.

Storyline

The King of Fighters '95 marks the beginning of a story arc that later became known as the "Orochi Saga". However, the only elements from the Orochi Saga known in this game is the introduction of Kyo's rival, Iori Yagami, and Rugal's use of the Orochi power. Rugal Bernstein, thought to have perished in an explosion in the previous game, had in fact survived and sent out invitations to the teams from the previous game signed simply ‘R'. Only one of the previous teams failed to attend the new tournament: the American Sports Team, now replaced by the "Rival Team" consisting of Iori Yagami, Billy Kane (from Fatal Fury: King of Fighters), and Eiji Kisaragi (from Art of Fighting 2). Saisyu Kusanagi, Kyo's father, appears as a fighter for the first time (having made a non-playable cameo in KOF '94) as a computer-controlled sub-boss character. After defeating Saisyu in the arcade mode, it is revealed that Saisyu was being brainwashed and that Rugal will fight once again as a boss character, but as an enhanced version named "Omega Rugal".