Fatal Fury (universe): Difference between revisions

|developer = [[SNK]]

|publisher = SNK

After creating and directing the original {{uv|Street Fighter}}, Takashi Nishiyama left [[Capcom]] and ended up working for [[SNK]]. The company was developing the Neo-Geo family of arcade and home console hardware at the time, and wanted a tentpole fighting game to compete with Capcom. This initiative eventually resulted in 1991 with the release of ''Fatal Fury'', designed as a spiritual successor to Nishiyama's previous work and developed around the same time as ''Street Fighter II''. To help differentiate this new game from the competition, the developers implemented several fundamental changes. The six button control scheme Capcom created and adopted was condensed into four buttons: light punch (A), light kick (B), heavy punch (C), and heavy kick (D). The game also introduced a two-plane fighting system, letting players dodge attacks by moving between the foreground and background. The game also has a greater emphasis on story. After selecting from a roster of only three playable characters ⁠— [[Terry Bogard]], his brother Andy, and their friend Joe Higashi ⁠— the player is tasked with going through the titular King of Fighters tournament taking place in the city of South Town against various foes to avenge the murder of Terry's adoptive father, Jeff, by the tournament's criminal organizer, Geese Howard. Short cutscenes play between each match, and the game also supports two-player co-op.

The final game in the ''Fatal Fury'' series, ''Garou: Mark of the Wolves'', was released in late 1999 and serves as a ten year time-skip from the events of ''Real Bout'', greatly revamping the gameplay and removing the two-plane system in favor of expanded defensive options. Terry is the only returning character in this installment, with the rest of the cast being newcomers (although some of them have some relationship to veteran characters); the game focuses on Geese's son, Rock Howard, whom Terry adopted at the end of ''Real Bout''. The main antagonist is Rock's uncle, Kain R. Heinlein, who hosts a new King of Fighters tournament in South Town's neighboring city of Second South Town in an effort to locate Rock and lure him into his control. While this game marked the end of the ''Fatal Fury'' series for 22 years, the characters still make regular appearances in other SNK games, including ''The King of Fighters'' and other guest appearances. However, it was announced at [[EVO]] 2022 that a new entry had been green-lit.

*'''Kim Kaphwan''': A Taekwondo master with a strong sense of justice, who befriended Terry after they met and fought during the events of ''Fatal Fury 2''. One of the veteran fighters of ''The King of Fighters'' series, where he leads his own team based in Korea (with the exception of ''The King of Fighters XI'', where he is Terry’s teammate; and ''The King of Fighters XV'' is the first game where he is absent from the tournament).

**Unlike ''Banjo-Kazooie'', however, series related to ''Fatal Fury'' do have Mii Fighter costumes such as ''Art of Fighting''{{'}}s Ryo Sakazaki and ''The King of Fighters''{{'}}s Iori Yagami.