The King of Fighters 2001

The King of Fighters 2001 is the eighth game in The King of Fighters series. It is the first of two King of Fighters games published by Korean company Eolith after Aruze put SNK into bankruptcy.

King of Fighters 2001 kept the Striker assist system from the previous two KOF games, but added a new twist to it - the ability to adjust how many Strikers a team could have. While teams in 1999 and 2000 were limited to selecting one teammate as an assist, now teams could have up to 3 assist characters, or none at all.

This game was given a remade intro for the PS2 port.

Plot


One year has passed since most of Southtown was decimated by the now-destroyed Zero Cannon and that many fighters are determined to make the NESTS cartel pay for their henious act. Upon realizing that they're now the target of everyone who's gotten in their way, the NESTS cartel decides to host the 2001 KOF tournament so that they can use it as a method to eliminate their sworn enemies. To this end, the organization sends four of their top fighters to enter into the competition, which includes the beautiful but enigmatic Kula Diamond, the top NESTS agent Foxy, the psychotic Kyo Kusanagi clone K9999, and the ditzy yet dangerous brawler Angel.

After winning the tournament, the Hero Team (K', Maxima, Whip, and Lin) boards a special blimp to celebrate their victory, but both K' and Lin are suspicious when there's barely anyone around. Suddenly, the blimp breaks apart its back portion and transforms into a rocket-like ship, sending the Hero Team on an unexpected trip into the highest of the skies. As the Hero Team tries to figure out on what's going on, a mysterious man who's wearing a familiar outfit from the past greets the fighters and tells them that he's the Original Zero. He then goes on to explain that the Zero from 2000 was nothing more than a clone that developed self-consciousness from within his mind and that he was doomed to failed from within his attempt to destroy NESTS. Along with his pet black lion Glaugan, a mysterious Chinese ninja named Ron (who seems to have a connection to Lin), and a dangerous clone of Krizalid, Original Zero gives the Hero Team one hell of a fight and that the aftermath leaves most of its members down and out. In the end, K' overcomes Original Zero's power and defeats him with his developed power, causing Original Zero to realize his inevitable defeat at the hands of the Hero Team. When the rocket-like ship arrives at a strange space station, Original Zero tells the Hero Team to head towards the leader of NESTS and that the fate of Original Zero is unknown, due to the fact that he stayed on board the rocket-like ship during its fiery descent back to Earth.

Meanwhile at an undisclosed location on the ground, K9999 and Angel suddenly betrays their teammates and eliminate Foxy without a second thought, leaving Kula to fight against her former friends alone. While that happens, the Hero Team rushes to the main room of the space station and confronts the leader of NESTS, which happens to be an old man named Igniz. Before they realize it, a shrouded man standing next to Igniz places his left hand upon Igniz's head and vaporizes him into dust, revealing to everyone that he's the true Igniz and that the sole purpose of the NESTS cartel was to gather the battle data of the KOF fighters so that he could insert it into his body and become a new god to the people of Earth. Igniz then goes on to tell K' that himself, Kula, and the other clones of Kyo Kusanagi were nothing more than guinea pigs in his eyes and that they were considered obsolete in his point of view. To prove his new god-like fighting abilities, Igniz challenges the Hero Team to a death match upon sight and that he shows no mercy to any of them, defeating Maxmia, Whip, and Lin with ease.

Though Igniz had the upper hand from within the earlier part of the fight, K's determination and the will to surpass his genetic limits had allowed him to harness his true power and defeat Igniz with ease, thus causing Igniz's plan to take over the world to fall apart upon sight. In a final and despearte move, Igniz tries to destroy the Hero Team by turning the entire space station into a kamikaze-like comet, hoping to smash it into the ocean.

Igniz perishes from within his effort and the Hero Team survives the ordeal miraculously, making a rendezvous with one another upon a sandy beach. As everyone goes their separate ways, K' is reunited with Kula, who was able to survive the battle against her former friends, and they join forces to experience true life and happiness in a new adventure.

Hero Team

 * K'
 * Maxima
 * Whip
 * Lin

Japan Team

 * Kyo Kusanagi
 * Benimaru Nikaido
 * Goro Daimon
 * Shingo Yabuki

Iori Team

 * Iori Yagami
 * Vanessa
 * Seth
 * Ramon

Fatal Fury Team

 * Terry Bogard
 * Andy Bogard
 * Joe Higashi
 * Blue Mary

Art of Fighting Team

 * Ryo Sakazaki
 * Robert Garcia
 * Yuri Sakazaki
 * Takuma Sakazaki

Ikari Warriors Team

 * Leona Heidern
 * Ralf Jones
 * Clark Still
 * Heidern

Psycho Soldiers Team

 * Athena Asamiya
 * Sie Kensou
 * Chin Gentsai
 * Bao

Women Fighters Team

 * King
 * Mai Shiranui
 * Hinako Shijou
 * Li Xiangfei

NESTS Team

 * Kula Diamond
 * K9999
 * Angel
 * Foxy

Korea Team

 * Kim Kaphwan
 * Chang Koehan
 * Choi Bounge
 * May Lee

Zero Team (Sub-boss)

 * Zero (Original)
 * Krizalid
 * Ron
 * Glaugan

Boss

 * Igniz