A Dream Match (ドリームマッチ) refers to a series of games that have little or no canon story to it. Formerly deceased characters in-story may return to fight and can even include characters from other series for the delight of fans.
History[]
One year after the release of Fatal Fury 2, SNK released an updated version titled Fatal Fury Special. This version rebalanced the existing cast, added all of the Mid-Bosses and Final Boss as playable characters, but the biggest addition was the appearance of Art of Fighting series protagonist Ryo Sakazaki as a Secret Boss.
It has been said that, as a result of the popularity that ensued from Ryo Sakazaki being a hidden character in this game, The King of Fighters as a series was born.