Art of Fighting

The Art of Fighting series serves as a prequel to the Fatal Fury series, with the three games taking place between 1978—1980, over a decade before the events of the first Fatal Fury; this is reflected by the characters' official birthdates in the series and given ages in each game. As the two are set in the same universe, the two series frequently allude to one another. Art of Fighting 2 documents the beginning of "The King of Fighters" tournaments and the rise of Fatal Fury antagonist Geese Howard, from corrupt police commissioner to crime lord of Southtown. Takuma is also said to be a contemporary of Jeff Bogard, adoptive father of Fatal Fury's main heroes, Terry and Andy Bogard; Jeff Bogard's murder at the hands of Geese Howard serves as a crucial component of the Fatal Fury series' backstory. In the Fatal Fury series, Ryo's student Marco Rodriguez appears as a playable fighter in Garou: Mark of the Wolves, while an older version of Ryo appears in the Hyper Neo-Geo 64 game Buriki One and the PlayStation port of Fatal Fury: Wild Ambition, having adopting his father's former identity of Mr. Karate.

While The King of Fighters series features characters from the Art of Fighting series and alludes to events occurring in the games, it follows a completely different continuity from that of the actual Art of Fighting and Fatal Fury games. This was done so that the Art of Fighting characters could fight alongside the Fatal Fury cast and other characters without aging them, but also continue to maintain the existing stories from the other games.

Art of Fighting
Developer(s)	SNK Sega (Genesis) Alfa System (PC Engine Arcade CD-ROM²)
Publisher(s)	SNK SNES JP: K.Amusement Leasing CO. NA/EU: Takara Sega (Genesis) Hudson Soft (PC Engine Arcade CD-ROM²)
Director(s)	Hiroshi Matsumoto
Producer(s)	Eikichi Kawasaki
Designer(s)	Ahokamen Boke Teizo Muta Tony Oki
Programmer(s)	John Guso
Composer(s)	Masahiko Hataya Toshio Shimizu Yasumasa Yamada
Series	Art of Fighting
Platform(s)	Arcade Arcade, Neo Geo AES, Neo Geo CD, Game Boy, PC Engine Arcade CD-ROM², Sega Genesis, SNES
Release	24 September 1992 Arcade WW: 24 September 1992 Neo Geo AES JP: 11 December 1992 NA: 11 December 1992 EU: 11 December 1992 SNES JP: 29 October 1993 NA: December 1993 EU: 1 December 1993 Genesis JP: 14 January 1994 NA: October 1994 EU: 1994 PC Engine Arcade CD-ROM² JP: 26 March 1994 Neo Geo CD JP: 9 September 1994 NA: October 1996
Genre(s)	Fighting
Mode(s)	Single-player Multiplayer
Arcade system	Neo Geo MVS

Gameplay screenshot showcasing a match between Ryo Sakazaki and Ryuhaku Todoh.

Taking place in 1978, Ryo Sakazaki and Robert Garcia set out to find Ryo's sister, Yuri, who has been kidnapped by Mr. Big. Mr. Big has taken the girl to entice Takuma Sakazaki, Ryo's father and originator of the fictional form of karate known as Kyokugen Karate ("Extreme style"), and because Ryo refused to work for Big. After they defeat Mr. Big, Ryo and Robert face the enigmatic Mr. Karate. Art of Fighting's story ends with a cliff-hanger; Yuri is about to disclose the true identity of Mr. Karate as their father Takuma.

Ryo and Robert are the only playable heroes in the single player story mode, although eight of the game's ten fighters are playable by default in the two player versus mode.[1] Mr. Big and Mr. Karate can be played in the Neo Geo MVS (arcade) version by reaching their respective stages in the game then having a second player join in, and in the Neo Geo AES (console) version through the use of cheat codes.

Art of Fighting's events are referenced often in the wider SNK universe; The King of Fighters '97, for instance, parodies the events of the game in its ending.

In the United States, the RePlay arcade charts listed Art of Fighting as the top-grossing software conversion kit in December 1992.[2]

Art of Fighting was re-released for Nintendo Switch on 21 September 2017.

A Sharp X68000 version of Art of Fighting was in development by Magical Company but it went unreleased for unknown reasons.[3]

Every time the player defeats two opponents while playing story mode, there are three bonus stages players can choose from:

The objective is to cut off the tops of five bottles on a table. The player must carefully time and press the A button when a special bar fills to full for maximum power. Cutting all the bottles at once completes the stage, rewarding the player by increasing their spirit gauge for the rest of the game.

Within a time limit, the player has to build up enough power to break five blocks of ice. Pressing the A button repeatedly will fill a gauge on the screen. If successful, the player will be rewarded with an increased life bar for the rest of the game.

The player must execute a super move, the Haoh Shoko Ken (misspelled as "Haow-Ken" in the game), a specific number of times to learn and use in the game against the other characters. The number of times needed to perform the move in the given time limit is dependent on the game's difficulty level. This is also the only bonus game that if it's successfully completed, it cannot be chosen again. While this move must be learned by completing the bonus game in story mode, it is available by default in two player mode.

• Butlins (1994–2001) (Neo Geo MVS: Neo-Fruito-MVS – 5 Slot: Art of Fighting (1992), Samurai Shodown (1993), Mutation Nation (1992), League Bowling (1990) and Super Sidekicks (1992))

Art of Fighting 3: The Path of the Warrior
Developer(s)	SNK
Publisher(s)	SNK Neo Geo CD JP/EU: SNK BRA: Neo Geo do Brasil Ltda.
Director(s)	Kimura Ken
Producer(s)	Hiroshi Matsumoto T. Nishiyama
Programmer(s)	YuritaRo
Artist(s)	K. Miya Hori Pu Rolly-R
Composer(s)	Masahiko Hataya Yasumasa Yamada
Series	Art of Fighting
Platform(s)	Arcade Neo Geo AES, Neo Geo CD
Release	1996 Arcade WW: 12 March 1996 Neo Geo AES JP: 26 April 1996 NA: 26 April 1996 EU: 26 April 1996 Neo Geo CD JPN: 14 June 1996 BRA: August 1996 EU: 14 September 1996
Genre(s)	Fighting
Mode(s)	Single-player Multiplayer
Arcade system	Neo Geo MVS

Gameplay screenshot showcasing a match between Kasumi Todoh and Rody Birts.

Art of Fighting 3: The Path of the Warrior (ART OF FIGHTING: Ryūko no Ken Gaiden, in Japanese: ART OF FIGHTING 龍虎の拳 外伝) was the first game in the series (and the first SNK fighting game) to use motion capture for its animation,[4] often being noted as some of the best sprite-work SNK has produced. It features a new cast of characters with the exception of Ryo and Robert. Yuri Sakazaki is seen in the game, but only as a side character in Ryo and Robert's story mode.

The story switched focus from the Sakazaki family to Robert Garcia. Robert disappears to search for an old childhood friend, Freia Lawrence, and he tracks her to Glass Hill, Mexico. Freia is wanted by the game's main antagonist, Wyler, to complete a powerful elixir that was created by his and Freia's fathers. The drug affects users in a similar manner as the potion in The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.

One of the game's characters, Kasumi Todoh, became a part of The King of Fighters cast. This game is the only one in the series to have a CD Drama Arranged Soundtrack.[5]

Art of Fighting 3: The Path of the Warrior was re-released for the Wii's Virtual Console in North America on 21 March 2013 and Nintendo Switch's ACA Neo Geo worldwide on 2 November 2017.

The four reviewers of Electronic Gaming Monthly gave the Neo Geo AES version a 5 out of 10. They lambasted the game for its poor balance, with their biggest complaint being the new Ultra-Cool Attacks, since they are easy to execute, cannot be blocked, and deal a massive amount of damage. They further criticized that the game lacks originality and innovation, failing to distinguish itself from the deluge of 2D fighting games coming out at the time.[6] A reviewer for Next Generation saw no problem with the game's balance but concurred that it is "too similar to every other 2D fighting game on the market". He gave the Neo Geo AES version three out of five stars.[7] According to Famitsu, the Neo Geo CD version sold over 20,877 copies in its first week on the market.[8]

Voiced by: Masaki Usui (AOF–NGBC, KOF XIII), Tetsuya Bessho (AOF anime), Akira Kamiya (KOF '94 Drama CD), Masayoshi Kozaki (KOF XII), Daiki Takakura (KOF XIV onwards), Subaru Kimura (KOF for Girls) (Japanese); Alden Crews (AOF anime) (English)

Ryo Sakazaki (リョウ・サカザキ, Ryō Sakazaki, sometimes written as 坂崎 亮, Sakazaki Ryō) is a skilled martial artist who practices his family's fighting style, Kyokugenryu Karate, acting as the top disciple alongside his sister Yuri, his father and sensei Takuma, and his best friend Robert Garcia. Ryo was created as an homage to the characters from Capcom's Street Fighter series, which members of the development team previously worked on.[10] This would in turn later lead to the creation of the Street Fighter character Dan Hibiki as a satire of Ryo.[11]

Voiced by: Eiji Yano (AOF), Masanori Ikeda (AOF anime), Kazuhiro Inage (AOF2, KOF '94–'95, NeoGeo Battle Coliseum, KOF XI–XIII), Hideo Ishikawa (KOF '94 Drama CD), Mantarou Kouichi (AOF3, KOF '96–2003), Go Shinomiya (KOF XIV onwards), Kazuhiro Okamoto (KOF for Girls) (Japanese); Nick Sullivan (AOF anime) (English)

Robert Garcia (ロバート・ガルシア, Robāto Garushia) is Ryo's best friend and fellow Kokugenryu student. He is introduced in the first Art of Fighting, when he helps Ryo rescue Yuri from the criminal Mr. Big.[12] As such, both Ryo Sakazaki and Robert go to Southtown to interrogate fighters until finding Mr. Big.[13] After defeating Mr. Big, Ryo and Robert face an assassin named Mr.Karate purportedly held Yuri. Ryo nearly finishes him off, but Yuri sneaks in and tells Ryo not to kill him since Mr. Karate is their father, Takuma.[14] The second Art of Fighting game features Robert, Ryo, Takuma and a now fighter Yuri entering into the first King of Fighters tournament held by Geese Howard, the main responsible for the kidnap.[15] In Art of Fighting 3, Robert visits Central America to help Freya Lawrence, a childhood friend, save her brother Wyler, whose demonic power made him go berserk.[16] In his ending, Robert stops Wyler and goes back to Italy. However, before entering into the plane, Yuri accompanies him.[17]

In The King of Fighters series, Takuma, Ryo, and Robert are part of the Art of Fighting Team, but in some games they form different allies.[18] With the arrival of The King of Fighters '99 and its teams of four, Takuma returns to the Art of Fighting team.[19][20][21] Though the Garcia Foundation no longer faced liquidation as it did in The King of Fighters 2001, it needed significant help to rebuild its prior fortunes, causing Robert to be absent in The King of Fighters XI.[22] Nevertheless, he is present in the Art of Fighting Team where he fails to stage a date between Ryo and King. He appears in the spin-off The King of Fighters Kyo, in which he helps the main character Kyo Kusanagi into finding his girlfriend Yuki.[23] Alongside an aged Ryo Sakazaki from Buriki One, an aged Robert appears in NeoGeo Battle Coliseum with moves largely from The King of Fighters 2000 and The King of Fighters 2003.[24] In his ending, it is revealed that Robert wishes to stay away from his family business and still work as part of teaching the Kyokugen Ryu.[25] He appears in this form as a hidden character in the PlayStation 2 version of The King of Fighters XI.[26] He returns in The King of Fighters XII onwards as part of the Art of Fighting Team.[27]

In The King of Fighters game without storylines The King of Fighters 2002 and The King of Fighters Neowave the Art of Fighting Team remains as in '94, while in The King of Fighters '98 and The King of Fighters 2002: Unlimited Match, it appears with Yuri taking Takuma's place.[28][29]

Both of these latest games also feature an "EX" version of Robert with his moves from the Art of Fighting series as a playable character.[30][31] He is also present in mobile phone games Metal Slug Defense, The King of Fighters '98 Unlimited Match Online and Kimi wa Hero.[32][33][34] The dating sim Days of Memories also features him.[35] Although he is not playable in SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos, Robert is often mentioned by other characters and makes a cameo in the endings from Takuma and Ryo.[36][37] Another cameo of him is in Yuri's ending from SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy.[38] He is also present in as well as the otome game King of Fighters for Girls.[39]

Voiced by: Takayuki Sakai (AOF), Takeshi Aono (AOF anime, CVS2) (Japanese); James Carter Cathcart (AOF anime)[40] (English)

Ryuhaku Todoh (藤堂竜白, Tōdō Ryūhaku) is the first opponent in the arcade mode of Art of Fighting. He is the creator and main teacher of the Todoh fighting style, which derives from Jujutsu, Kendo and Kobujutsu. Todoh has a long-standing rivalry with disciples of the Kyokugenryu school of karate and considers them a threat to his dojo in terms of profits; and also there is a long-standing personal animosity dating back to a rivalry with the Kyokugenryu karate master Takuma Sakazaki which began when both men were very young.

Voiced by: Ginzō Matsuo (AOF anime) (Japanese); Eric Stuart (AOF anime), Micheal Beard (AOF1–AOF2 game)[40] (English)

Jack Turner (ジャック・ターナー, Jaku Tānā) is a member of Mr. Big's syndicate, and a developer of his own fighting style. One of Mr. Big's highest-ranking subordinates, he devastates anyone who crosses his path. Jack is also the leader of the Southtown gang known as the Neo Black Cats. Humorously, in Jack's ending in AOF2, it was revealed that he wanted to make the gang into a dance group.

Voiced by: Eiji Yano (AOF), Kazuhiro Inage (AOF2)

Lee Pai Long (Chinese: 李白龍) is a master of Chinese martial arts from Taiwan and an expert of his country's medicine. His adoptive father and mentor, Lee Gakusuo, passed on his pharmaceutic knowledge and martial arts to him before instructing Lee to finish his studies in South Town. Once he arrived there, Lee became fascinated with the local style of Kenpo and neglected his roots to be a street fighter. He works as the director of the Southtown prison, but also has a small herbal shop which he runs part-time. A former adversary and long-time friend of Ryo Sakazaki's father Takuma, he enters the tournament to test Ryo's skills. And like his friend, he dons a mask; in this case, a Monkey Mask. Humorously, in his ending to AOF2, it was discovered that Lee would become famous for finding the cure to haemorrhoids. He has also been featured in NeoGeo Battle Coliseum as a playable character.

Voiced by: Harumi Ikoma (games, KOF: D), Masako Katsuki (AOF anime), Yumi Tōma (KOF '94 Drama CD) (Japanese); Sharon Becker (AOF anime)[40] (English)

King (キング, Kingu) is a female Muay Thai fighter from France who dresses as a man in order to present herself as a reliable fighter, hide her true identity, and for various other reasons such as the fact that she has been at war with her own sex for years. Originally, her true gender was meant to be a surprise for the player, revealed only if she was defeated with a special move; as time went by, however, her design became more feminine, albeit without straying too far from the original concept. In the first Art of Fighting, King appears as a CPU-controlled character. She is hired by the criminal Mr. Big to work as a bouncer in his tournament. After King is defeated by Ryo Sakazaki and Robert Garcia who were searching for Ryo's kidnapped sister, Yuri, King agrees to help them to find Mr. Big. In Art of Fighting 2, King enters into the King of Fighters tournament in order to win the prize money to pay for an operation for her younger brother, Jan, to regain the use of his legs. As such, Ryo and Robert decide to use the prize money to pay for the operation in gratitude for helping them to find Yuri.

Voiced by: Kazuhiro Inage (AOF–AOF2) (Shout,Scream,Grunt) (Japanese); Micheal Beard (AOF–AOF2) (English)

Mickey Rogers (ミッキー・ロジャース) is a former professional boxer who was expelled from the ranks after he accidentally killed a man in the ring. He currently stalks Southtown seeking opponents to vent his anger and frustration on, and enters the tournament for the same reason. Like Crawley, Mickey gets a haircut between his two appearances. In the first AOF, Mickey has long hair, worn in dreadlocks. In AOF2, he has short hair. In Art of Fighting, Mickey becomes a small-time hood who works for Mr. Big so that he can get money as a street hustler.

Voiced by: Masaki Usui (AOF–AOF2), Kaneto Shiozawa (AOF anime) (Japanese); Eric Stuart (AOF anime)[40] (English)

John Crawley (ジョン・クローリー, Jon Kuraurei) is a martial arts instructor, and with his brutal and aggressive fighting style was known to his friends as "The Madman" and "The Killing Machine". He enters the tournament to win the prize money and test his skills. In the first AOF, Crawley has longer hair. By the time AOF2 occurs, his hair is cut shorter. In John's AOF2 ending, the US Military attempts to recruit him to rescue the President's canary, but John refuses. Although it is not mentioned in the game, John seems to be assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Independence, since a large "62" is visible on the ship's island.

Voiced by: Iemasa Kayumi (AOF anime), Masaru Naka (KOF '96, KOF '98: UM), Nobuyuki Yuki (KOF XI, NGBC), Yūki Ono (KOF film), Yuki Arai (KOF:D onwards), Aya Saito (Pretty Big; KOFAS) (Japanese); Cliff Lazenby (AOF anime)[40] (English)

Mr. Big (Mr.ビッグ, Misutā Biggu) is the sub-boss character from the first two Art of Fighting games. Mr. Big was formerly in the Army's Special Forces, and fights skillfully with a pair of eskrima rattan sticks. He has been involved with the mob for as long as he can remember. He made it big in Southtown, a city as seedy and corrupt as he is. He joins Geese Howard's criminal organization, soon becoming his right-hand man. Big secretly feared Takuma Sakazaki, the master of Kyokugenryu Karate, so he ordered the kidnapping of Takuma's daughter, Yuri, and threatened Takuma into working for him. The plan backfired when Ryo Sakazaki and Robert Garcia fought their way through Southtown's crime to find both of them, beating Big senseless to rescue Yuri and Takuma. King worked as a bouncer at one of Mr. Big's establishments.

Mr. Big is played by Sam Hargrave in the 2010 live-action film adaptation of The King of Fighters, being the only character from the Art of Fighting series in the film.

Voiced by: Takayuki Sakai (AOF), Eiji Tsuda (AOF2–KOF XIII), Hōchū Ōtsuka (KOF '94 Drama CD), Takeshi Maruyama (KOFAS)

Takuma Sakazaki (タクマ・サカザキ, Takuma Sakazaki; also written as 坂崎 拓馬, Sakazaki Takuma) is Ryo and Yuri's father who left them prior to the first Art of Fighting, though as the master and creator of Kyokugenryu Karate, he has taught both Ryo and Robert at a young age, with Yuri becoming his student later on after the first game. Takuma appears as the final boss of the game as a masked warrior named Mr. Karate (Mr.カラテ, Misutā Karate), having taken Yuri as a hostage. Before being defeated by Ryo and Robert, Yuri stops them, revealing his identity. It is later revealed that Takuma was forced to work for Geese Howard and that his right-hand man, Mr. Big, kidnapped Yuri to put him under control. In the SNES port, Takuma Sakazaki reveals himself as the unwilling killer of Jeff Bogard, stating he wouldn't have eliminated him but Geese had already taken Yuri hostage. In Art of Fighting 2, Takuma rebels against Geese and Mr. Big by fighting in their King of Fighters tournament, but retreats due to the several injuries he has.

Voiced by: Harumi Ikoma (AOF), Kaori Horie (AOF2–KOF XIII), Ayumi Hamasaki (AOF anime), Sakura Tange (KOF '94 Drama CD), Ai Kakuma (KOF XIV onwards) (Japanese); Veronica Taylor (AOF anime) (English)

Yuri Sakazaki (ユリ・サカザキ, Yuri Sakazaki, sometimes written as 坂崎 ゆり, Sakazaki Yuri) is the younger sister of Ryo and daughter of Takuma. She is introduced in the first game as the hostage of Mr. Big, prompting Ryo and Robert to rescue her. She makes her playable debut in Art of Fighting 2, having been trained by Takuma in Kyokugenryu to defend herself, and teams up with her family to defeat Geese Howard.

While searching for a cat, Ryo and Robert (two karate experts) witnessed a murder related to a stolen diamond. After fighting the murdering mobsters, they discovered that the top mobster, Mr. Big, had kidnapped Ryo's sister to exchange her against the diamond, which he believes to be in the possession of the protagonists. They then have to defend themselves anyway they can – mainly through kicks and punches. They both attempt to break into Big's hideout to save Yuri but their plans are foiled by the sudden arrival of the police force. Forced with no other options, they spend the night searching for the diamond. When they find it, they go to meet Big and give it to him. A big fight ensues, complete with an exploding helicopter and a bout with King and Big, but they are able to save Yuri and head back home. Todoh and the police force arrest Big and his men. They also confiscate the diamond, which is somewhere at the bottom of Big's pool.