Tales of Ash

The Tales of Ash, also known as the Ash Saga is the third story arc in The King of Fighters series. It covers the events found in The King of Fighters 2003 through The King of Fighters XIII.

= Past =

Ancient Times, -Another Side-
Within old Europe, a mysterious group known as Those from the Past began emerging as the counterparts to Orochi's Hakkesshu. Their leader, Saiki, was a power being who possesses control over time. Sometime after Orochi was sealed, many members of Those from the Past were wiped out, at the hands of the Blanctorche Family, a group of nobles who protect the innocent and have a mastery of the elements of light.

Late 1990s
By the late 1990s, Elisabeth Blanctorche is the last known remaining Blanctorche. At one point, she became the childhood friend of Ash Crimson and they were raised in the same mansion together. She used to act as his older sister figure, until a fire burned down the mansion and many of her clansmen to the ground. As the sole remaining Blanctorche, she lives with her butler, Jacques, near the remains of her family's home.

= Story =

Welcoming All Oncomers
Two years after The King of Fighters 2001, The King of Fighters tournament returned in full force. Once again the rules were changed, with the "Striker System" being dropped completely, and the matches returning back to the 3v3 team matches. However, now matches took place in a single round, and fighters could freely swap out with other standby members at any time.

The King of Fighters XIII
=Characters=

NPCs

 * Rose Bernstein (Appears in 2003, XI and XIII)
 * Botan (Appears in 2003, XI and XIII)
 * Shroom & Rimelo (Appears in XI and XIII)

KOF 2002/UM
=Notes=
 * Starting with The King of Fighters XI, the series drops the years that the games take place in. Because to this, it will become very hard or even impossible to determine exactly where and when certain backstories took place starting from here on out, unless confirmed by SNK themselves.
 * All characters who debut in The King of Fighters series (starting with The King of Fighters XIII) do not have their ages displayed, adding more to the uncertainty.
 * Certain characters who debut in the Console release and not the original Arcade release are considered non-canon.
 * The King of Fighters XII is a "Dream Match" game, and is therefore non-canon.