The King of Fighters '97

Infobox VG
title = The King of Fighters '97


caption = Neo Geo CD cover for "The King of Fighters '97", displaying new character Shingo Yabuki prominently.
developer = SNK
publisher = SNK
designer =
release = July 28, 1997
genre = Gaming crossovers/Versus Fighting
modes = Team Battle, One-On-One; Up to 2 players simultaneously
cabinet = Upright
arcade system = Neo-Geo
display =
input = 8-way Joystick, 5 Buttons
platforms = Arcade, Neo-Geo, Neo Geo CD, Sega Saturn, PlayStation, Playstation 2

King of Fighters '97 is the fourth game in the "King of Fighters" series. This King of Fighters has the introduction of two special modes-Advance Mode (based on KOF '96) and Extra Mode (based on KOF '94 & '95). It concludes the three part 'Orochi Saga' story-line begun King of Fighters '95 (and continued in KOF '96).

tory

Despite the events at the end of The King of Fighters '96, the 1996 tournament was a huge commercial success and sparked a world-wide fighting craze. Within a few months of the tournament ending, various large corporations had held smaller KOF tournament qualifiers and constructed special King Of Fighters stadiums around the world, building the excitement up for the 1997 tournament. News of the tournament spread through every form of media and fans and new fighters from across the globe come to watch the preliminary matches. Determined to harness the secret power of the Orochi, Geese Howard has created and entered a new '97 Special Team', which consists of Ryuji Yamazaki, Blue Mary and Billy Kane. Also, a mysterious New Faces Team, composed of three band-members (Shermie, Yashiro Nanakase and Chris) enter the tournament with the terrible intentions of raising Orochi from his slumber (It turns out that in the backstory of KOF '97, the American Sports Team (Heavy D!, Lucky Glauber, and Brian Battler) were originally invited to compete in the tournament, but like the same incident with Iori Yagami's team in 1995, they had their invitations stolen by the New Faces Team). Eventually, the Hero Team (Kyo Kusanagi, Benimaru Nikaido and Goro Daimon) wins the tournament and prepares to accept their hard-earned prize, but not before facing off against a psychotic Iori Yagami, who becomes possessed by the Orochi blood that flows through his body. After a tough battle, Kyo and his friends defeat Iori but find themselves in another ordeal when the New Faces Team confronts them unexpectedly and reveals to them that they are in fact part of the Orochi Clan. Yashiro then tells Kyo and his friends that he, Shermie, and Chris had used the KOF tournament as a way to gather the fight energy needed for the awakening of Orochi and that the New Faces Team are almost done in their evil scheme (This comes from the fact that Goenitz's battle against Kyo and Iori in the KOF '96 tournament had provided a huge sum of fight energy for Orochi). Eventually, the two teams face off against one another at the ritual site of the Orochi's revival and that the clash between the six fighters proves to be one of the most dangerous battles yet. Despite that the Hero Team is successful in defeating the New Faces Team, the ordeal wasn't finished just yet and that both Yashiro and Shermie initiate an unexpected move that shocks Kyo, Benimaru, and Daimon. To fulfill Orochi's will, Yashiro and Shermie commite suicide in front of the Hero Team's sight and transfers the last of their Orochi energy to Chris, who in fact takes his own life instantly and allows his body to become the vessel for the arriving Orochi. Through this method, the body of the now-deceased Chris goes through a radical metamorphosis, transforming his hair to white and gaining strange tattoos on his chest. Through this process, the ancient entity known as Orochi has finally arrived on Earth and that he tells the Hero Team his evil plan to wipe out all mankind. Despite the combined efforts of Kyo, Benimaru, and Daimon, their strength alone is no match against the unfathomable power of Orochi and that the evil entity uses his might to defeat both Benimaru and Daimon with ease, leaving Kyo to face the world's greatest threat alone. Just when it seem that all hope is lost for Kyo, two unexpected faces appear from out of nowhere to give Kyo a helping hand in stopping Orochi's rampage. It turns out that both Iori Yagami and Chizuru Kagura are linked to Kyo through the fate of their clans' past and that all three of them are destined to stop Orochi when it rises from the depth of obscurity. Through their combined might and will of determination, the Sacred Force trio defeats Orochi and plans to finish him off once and for all, but Orochi pulls one last trick up his sleeve and tries to manipulate Iori (via Orochi blood) into killing Kyo and Chizuru. However, Orochi's last minute scheme backfires on him when Iori attacks him instead and grabs Orochi's neck in a harsh grip, causing a massive surge of energy to burst out of control from within their clash. Realizing that Iori cannot share the same tragic fate as his ancestors, Kyo summons the last of his inner strength and rushes towards Iori and Orochi from within the climax of the epic battle, thrusting his right fist towards Iori's back and causing a massive flash of explosive energy to occur in an instant, wiping out most of the land from within the sight of the huge explosion. When the dust settles, Chizuru is shocked to see that Orochi is gone from the battlefield and out of the Earth's world, but at the same time, she's also shocked to see that neither Kyo nor Iori is anywhere from within her sight. When Benimaru and Daimon rendezvous with Chizuru, she tells them that the Orochi threat is over and that the evil entity has gone back to his dimensional sleep, but also...she tells them about the unknown fate of Kyo and Iori. Benimaru and Daimon assures Chizuru that Kyo will return one day to them and that he'll continue his love of fighting, especially for the KOF tournament. Chizuru reluctantly agrees with the two on their statement and now wonders on what the future holds for her and the rest of the KOF fighters.

Characters

Hero Team

*Kyo Kusanagi
*Benimaru Nikaido
*Goro Daimon

Fatal Fury Team

*Terry Bogard
*Andy Bogard
*Joe Higashi

Art of Fighting Team

*Ryo Sakazaki
*Robert Garcia
*Yuri Sakazaki

Ikari Team

*Leona Heidern
*Ralf Jones
*Clark Steel

Psycho Soldier Team

*Athena Asamiya
*Sie Kensou
*Chin Gentsai

Women Fighters Team

*Chizuru Kagura
*Mai Shiranui
*King

Korea Team

*Kim Kaphwan
*Chang Koehan
*Choi Bounge

New Faces Team

*Yashiro Nanakase
*Shermie
*Chris

'97 Special Team

*Ryuji Yamazaki
*Blue Mary
*Billy Kane

ingle Entry

*Iori Yagami
*Shingo Yabuki

Bosses

Mid-Boss Fighters
*Orochi Iori
*Orochi Leona

Sub-Boss Team (Orochi Team)
*Orochi Yashiro
*Orochi Shermie
*Orochi Chris

Main Boss
*Orochi

Alternate

*'94 Kyo Kusanagi

ee also

*King of Fighters
*List of characters from King of Fighters
*Fatal Fury
*Art of Fighting

External links

* [http://game.snkplaymore.co.jp/official/online/orochi/kof97.php The King of Fighters '97] at the official Japanese website of SNK Playmore