King of Fighters Stadium
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This page documents information about recently released content. Information may change rapidly as it becomes available. All information in this article must be verifiable. |
| King of Fighters Stadium | |
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File:SSBU-Fatal Fury Stage.png
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| Universe | Fatal Fury |
| Appears in | Ultimate |
| Availability | Downloadable |
King of Fighters Stadium (KOFスタジアム, KOF Stadium) is a downloadable stage for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. It was released on November 6th, 2019 as part of Challenger Pack 4, being the home stage of Terry. The stage is a large arena themed around the King of Fighters tournament, which was featured in the Fatal Fury series before branching out into its own series with the same name.
Stage overview
The stage's layout is a simple flat ring, similar to most stages in the Fatal Fury and The King of Fighters series, which is slightly elevated above ground level. It takes place in a large, arena-like stadium similar to both Pokémon Stadium and Boxing Ring. Like those stages, a large jumbotron that records the on-screen action can be seen in the background. Invisible walls are on both sides of the stage, blocking the blast line; these walls can be broken by dealing enough knockback to a fighter. Characters from Fatal Fury and The King of Fighters make cameos just outside of the ring, similarly to how they do while watching the fight in various The King of Fighters games; there are 20 in total. While they are normally random, the choice of music will guarantee specific characters to appear.
Cameos
The following is a list of cameos on the stage:
- Andy Bogard: Terry Bogard's adopted brother and recurring teammate in the King of Fighters tournament.
- Joe Higashi: A Japanese Muay Thai champion and friend of both Terry and Andy Bogard. First appearing in the first Fatal Fury game, Joe often joins the Bogard brothers in King of Fighters, as a part of the Fatal Fury Team.
- Geese Howard: Terry Bogard's arch-enemy and responsible for the death of Terry's father, Jeff Bogard, Geese Howard is a powerful fighter and a crime boss operating in South Town.
- Billy Kane: Geese Howard's British right-hand man and self-proclaimed rival of Terry Bogard.
- Rock Howard: Geese Howard's son and Terry Bogard's protegee. He first appears in Garou: Mark of the Wolves.
- Tung Fu Rue: An elderly and wise Chinese master of Hakkyokuseiken who trained both Geese Howard and Terry Bogard's adoptive father, Jeff Bogard.
- Kim Kaphwan: A Tae Kwon Do master with a strong sense of justice who has fought and befriended Terry after they met during the events of Fatal Fury 2.
- Blue Mary: A private detective who befriends Terry after her first appearance in Fatal Fury 3. The two are implied to be in a romantic relationship.
- Ryuji Yamazaki: A sadistic and insane criminal boss who first appears in Fatal Fury 3.
- Ryo Sakazaki: The main protagonist of the prequel Art of Fighting. He is the “Dragon” of the fictional Kyokugen Karate, a heir to the mantle of Mr. Karate, and the leading core of Art of Fighting team within the main KOF timeline. He appeared as a bonus boss character in Fatal Fury Special and Fatal Fury: Wild Ambition, as well as being a regular character in AOF offshoot game Buriki One.
- Yuri Sakazaki: Ryo Sakazaki's younger sister, who is kidnapped in the first Art of Fighting game. She would later go on to learn the techniques of her family's Kyokugen Karate in less than a year, and make her playable debut in Art of Fighting 2.
- King: A female French bouncer and bar owner, formerly the bodyguard of the infamous Mr. Big, King is a recurring character in Art of Fighting and The King of Fighters, and is also shown to have a romantic crush on Ryo Sakazaki, after he used the prize money he won at the very first King of Fighters tournament to help her sick brother.
- Kyo Kusanagi: The heir of the traditional Kusanagi Clan, Kyo is the main character of the King of Fighters series. He holds one of the Three Sacred Treasures, the Kusanagi Sword, capable of sealing off the mystical Orochi power.
- Iori Yagami: Kyo Kusanagi's rival, first making his debut in The King of Fighters '95. Iori is the heir of the Yagami Clan, who rivals the Kusanagi Clan to a point that Iori is obsessed with ending Kyo's life, and also holds one of the Three Sacred Treasures, the Magatama of Yasakani. Iori controls purple flames that stun opponents, thanks to his clan's links to the Orochi blood, which also make him vulnerable to the so-called Riot of the Blood, which makes him uncontrollably wild.
- Athena Asamiya: A Japanese pop idol who wields psychic powers, also being a descendant of the legendary Princess Athena. She made her first appearance in the game Psycho Soldier, before becoming a staple character of the King of Fighters franchise. Athena is notable for being the only character who wears a different outfit in every new game in The King of Fighters series. Her appearance in Smash is modeled after the outfit she wore in The King of Fighters '95.
- Ralf Jones and Clark Still: Members of the mercenary organization, the Ikari Warriors, Ralf and Clark work under commander Heidern and are regulars of the King of Fighters tournament. Their first appearance was in the game Ikari Warriors.
- Goro Daimon: A judo champion and recurring companion of Kyo Kusanagi as a member of the Japan Team, also known as the Hero Team. His first appearance was in The King of Fighters '94, alongside Kyo.
- Chang Koehan and Choi Bounge: Two Korean criminals who were forced to join Kim Kaphwan's "rehabilitation program". Chang is a large felon who wields an iron ball and has a history of prison breaks, while Choi is a short slasher who was captured by Kim when he tried to attack him.
Ω form and Battlefield form
The Ω form and Battlefield form are set far above the ground overlooking the field. The main platform resembles the ring of the normal form, but resized and reshaped to match Final Destination and Battlefield, respectively. The three soft platforms of the Battlefield form are metallic and are unique to this form. The character cameos remain present in both forms, appearing in the background of the main platform.
Ω form in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
Battlefield form in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
Origin
The stage is an original design based on the various arenas from The King of Fighters series, deriving primarily from The King of Fighters XII. Its overall open-field design, along with the jumbotron bearing the King of Fighters logo, most prominently resembles the Arena Stage from XII. However, the bold green design of this logo is completely original to Smash. The circular design of the main platform appears closest to Kagura Stadium from '96, including the "KOF" logo in the center, which has a Smash logo in place of the "O". The construction of the stands and overall muted metallic tone bears strong resemblance to the Antonov Super Arena from XIV.
The layout of the stage is designed after a traditional fighting game like the Fatal Fury series, where the layout is flat and even, and ringouts are uncommon. The breakable walls are inspired by Real Bout Fatal Fury Special, which features a similar mechanic; unlike in that game, however, the walls do not permanently break.
"King of Fighters" is a recurring tournament in SNK's gaming universe. The concept was first introduced in Fatal Fury: King of Fighters, although canonically, the first time a King of Fighters tournament was ever held was in Art of Fighting 2. Recently, the tournament's most prominent appearances are in The King of Fighters series, which was based on the idea developed on both series, as well as Ryo Sakazaki's appearance as a secret extra opponent in Fatal Fury Special.
Trivia
- Banners in the background include the logos for Alpha and Arex—recurring brands in the King of Fighters series—as well Fatal Fury and King of Fighters themselves, many of which incorporate the Smash logo. One banner reads "Neo Challenger", as a reference to both the Neo Geo and Terry's status as a newcomer to Smash.
- Mai Shiranui, despite being a prominent character in the Fatal Fury and The King of Fighters series, does not cameo on the stage. According to Sakurai, this is because "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is for good boys and girls of many different ages," a likely reference to Mai's revealing outfit, thus requiring her to be excluded in order to accommodate Ultimate's age ratings.
- In the Japanese version, Sakurai mentions that Mai didn't make it in as a cameo in order to keep the game's A rating from the CERO, making the English translation somewhat of a euphemism.
 Fatal Fury universe
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| Fighter | Terry (SSBU) |
| Stage | King of Fighters Stadium |
| Related | Iori Yagami · Nakoruru · Ryo Sakazaki |
| Spirits | Spirits |
| Music | Ultimate |
