New Age Saga

The Shun'ei Saga (Tentative Title) is the fourth and current on-going story arc in The King of Fighters series. It covers the events found in The King of Fighters XIV and The King of Fighters XV, as well as SNK Heroines Tag Team Frenzy (a canonical spin-off game).

=Past=

Verse
After Ash Crimson sacrificed his existence to erase Saiki in the previous tournament, a entity known as Verse began forming. Verse also formed from various fallen souls that spread not only through The King of Fighters series, but also other SNK series. When Nakoruru, a priestess from the Feudal Japan from the 18th century, sensed a terrible malice coming from a crack in spacetime, she traveled to the modern times (where The King of Fighters universe and story takes place) and enters with Mui Mui, a dragon clan member, and Love Heart, a pirate and captain of the Peace Air Pirates.

=The King of Fighters XIV=

The "First" Champion


Several years after the events of the previous tournament, a confident billionaire named Antonov buys the rights to The King of Fighters tournament, over the strong objections of the board members of his company, the Antonov Corporation. Proclaiming himself as the “first champion”, he eagerly host a new tournament and sends out invites across the world, challenging the teams to take his title.

Follow Me
Once again, all of the teams fought with all their strength, culminating with the Japan Team reaching the finals, which was a final confrontation with the "first" champion, Antonov. Team Japan easily beats him, making them winners of The King of Fighters XIV, the first time since their last victory in the '97 tournament.



However, mere moments after beating Antonov, a mysterious entity appears, destroying the stadium and causing the death of many people.

This Verse's manifestation has already caused time anomalies. A fragment of Verse is inside. Its presence compelled Nakoruru (who refers to him as Wei Kamui) to traverse through spacetime to defeat it. Shun'ei defeated Verse, but upon defeat, it exploded and released omnimous mist across the world. With Verse's defeat, The King of Fighters tournament ends.

Burning On
36 hours after the tournament's conclusion, Heidern receives information from Maxima about the creature that appeared during the finals of the tournament. Heidern dubs the entity as Verse, due to it only yelling "Veeeeeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrrse" when it spoke. Heidern confirms that there are several bodies that were resurrected and has already commenced a 24 hour surveillance. After the meeting he tells Leona that Gaidel's resurrection has not been confirmed, although Leona responds that she's not concerned with it.

Several characters were revealed who were revived:


 * Orochi lands in Hungary, but cannot maintain itself without a catalyst as Chris was resurrected in a new body elsewhere. It is found and sealed once again by Kyo, Iori and Chizuru, the three Sacred Treasures. Orochi also had three empty craters near it, already revived.


 * Elisabeth Blanctorche is informed by Kukri that he found Ash Crimson in the Ukraine Carpathian Mountains, and reveals that Ash was among the many people whose souls were trapped inside of Verse's body.


 * Verse itself seems to not be completely destroyed, as its remains lands in the Australian Ayers Rock.


 * Besides that, other evil souls are trapped and released (some of them belonging to bosses from previous games and sagas).

=SNK Heroines Tag Team Frenzy= Several months prior to the events of the fifteenth torunament, Kukri's obsession for women caused him to create a pocket dimension where women fighters must survive in his universe and join forces and slug it out with other women.

Kukri transports and kidnaps most of SNK female fighters, including few of them who aren't present in the previous tournament (such as Jeanne D'Arc and the recently revived Shermie) to this pocket dimension, and they suddenly fall unconscious. Upon waking, they find themselves in a strange mansion, along some male fighters who have been changed into women. Kukri's main objective is to transform the female fighters into sand sculptures. For this, he has the help of an evil statue whose energy comes from the battles between the fighters, in addition to the fear and despair of each of them. The fighters attempt to battle their way out, but are confronted by the mastermind, Kukri, who reveals he has trapped them in his castle in a pocket dimension and they must defeat him to return home.

=The King of Fighters XV= To be added soon...

=Characters Introduced=

SNK Original Characters

 * Miss X (SNK Gals' Fighters; Playable in SNKH, as DLC, in both genders)
 * Jeanne D'Arc (World Heroes series; Playable in SNKH, as DLC)

Crossover Guest Characters

 * Thief Arthur (Square Enix; Playable in SNKH, as a Crossover DLC)
 * Skullomania (ARIKA; Playable in SNKH, as a Crossover DLC)

KOF XV
To be added soon...

NPC Characters

 * Yakov (Antonov's assistant; seen in XIV)
 * Clemence Bellamy (KOF Tournament journalist; seen in XIV as reporter and in XV as anchorman)

Original Characters

 * Kyo Kusanagi (Playable in XIV and XV)
 * Benimaru Nikaido (Playable in XIV and XV)
 * Goro Daimon (Playable in XIV)
 * Heidern (Playable in XIV, as DLC)
 * Chin Gentsai (Playable in XIV)
 * Chang Koehan (Playable in XIV)
 * Choi Bounge (Playable in XIV)

Fatal Fury series

 * Terry Bogard (Playable in XIV, SNKH and XV)
 * Andy Bogard (Playable in XIV and XV)
 * Joe Higashi (Playable in XIV and XV)
 * Mai Shiranui (Playable in XIV, SNKH and XV)
 * Kim Kaphwan (Playable in XIV)

Art of Fighting series

 * Ryo Sakazaki (Playable in XIV and XV)
 * Robert Garcia (Playable in XIV and XV)
 * Yuri Sakazaki (Playable in XIV, SNKH and XV)
 * King (Playable in XIV and XV)

Ikari Warriors series

 * Ralf Jones (Playable in XIV and XV)
 * Clark Still (Playable in XIV and XV)

Psycho Soldier

 * Athena Asamiya (Playable in XIV, SNKH and XV)
 * Sie Kensou (Playable in XIV)

Original Characters

 * Iori Yagami (Playable in XIV, SNKH and XV; Appears as Miss X in SNKH)

Fatal Fury series

 * Billy Kane (Playable in XIV)

Original Characters

 * Leona Heidern (Playable in XIV, SNKH and XV)
 * Mature (Playable in XIV)
 * Vice (Playable in XIV)
 * Chizuru Kagura (Playable in XV)

Fatal Fury series

 * Geese Howard (Playable in XIV)

Original Characters

 * Yashiro Nanakase (Playable in XV)
 * Shermie (Playable in SNKH and XV)
 * Chris (Playable in XV)

Fatal Fury series

 * Ryuji Yamazaki (Playable in XIV, as DLC)
 * Blue Mary (Playable in XIV and XV; only DLC in XIV)

KOF '99

 * K' (Playable in XIV and XV)
 * Maxima (Playable in XIV)
 * Whip (Playable in XIV, as DLC)

KOF 2000

 * Kula Diamond (Playable in XIV and SNKH)
 * Vanessa (Playable in XIV and XV; only DLC in XIV)
 * Ramón (Playable in XIV and XV)

KOF 2001

 * Angel (Playable in XIV)

Original Character

 * Oswald (Playable in XIV, as DLC)

Fatal Fury series

 * Tung Fu Rue (Playable in XIV)

= Characters & Teams =
 * Teams in which the characters who participate in the saga are inserted.
 * Note: As there the system of the game is 2-vs-2 (Tag-Battle System), all participations in SNK Heroines Tag Team Frenzy are solo.

Mainline Games

 * Participation of the debutant or returning characters in mainline games of the saga, either they canonical or not.

Spin-Off Participations

 * Participation of the debutant or returning characters in spin-off games with direct relation to the saga, either they canonical or not.

=Trivia=


 * As this is a current on-going story arc, there are currently many mysteries that we do not currently have an answer to yet.
 * Although the manga The King of Fighters: A New Beginning contains more information about the story side of KOF XIV, it is not canon to the games. The publication is written by Kyōtarō Azuma.
 * As of yet, it is unknown how Mui Mui and Love Heart will be affected in the series, since the rights for Dragon Gal and Sky Love pachinko series are sold (the last for Highlights Entertainment, a bankrupted company).
 * This is the first mainline arc story to use 3D graphics. The other experience of the series with that type of engine is the Maximum Impact series.
 * The first game of the saga, The King of Fighters XIV, is the first and only game of the series to use the Season DLC Content Pass system. However, the first DLCs of the series are released in The King of Fighters XIII, the last chapter of the previous saga.