This game differs from other games in the series in that aside from the New Faces Team and the Orochi Team, no team has a theme song. Instead, only certain characters have a theme song and if the player fights a character who does not have a theme song, only the stages ambience will play during the match.
This game is so far the only one in the series whose Japanese version has more content (the hidden graphics if playing as the Neo-Geo Freak, Famitsu or Gamest team) than the other regions of the game.
The Special Team is the second team in the series (first one being Bosses Team in The King of Fighters '96) where each member of the team has their own theme song. All of their theme songs are taken from Real Bout Fatal Fury Special.
This is the first game in the series to have a playable section after the final boss. If the player plays as the Hero Team, the player will fight Iori Yagami as Kyo Kusanagi after the final boss. This is also the first 1 vs. 1 fight in the regular arcade mode.
