KOFi

by ALLRRPRP

This is the imaginary KOF dreammatch. Some old teams, some new teams, and some teams you'd never expect to see! Please, read and review! It's rated K, because there's some mild coarse language, but no violence and no adult themes.

KOFi - a dream about a dream

Hello, and welcome to my first fanfiction - KOFi. It is the way I imagine a perfect KOF dreammatch. ( i in the title stands for "imaginary", and I used the small letter, so it wouldn't be confused with the Roman numeral, like in KOF XI and XII) Since it's a dreammatch, it has no plot, and therefore it is not a real fanfiction. But, it's my first work, so this is just a warm-up. I'll write some real fics if I get some nice reviews on this one. And also if I don't… But if I do, I'll certainly be more encouraged. Of course, I do not own any of the characters I will be writing about in this text, any games I will be mentioning, in short, I own nothing!

This text doesn't need to be read from the beginning to the end. That's the way I've written it and it's the way I think it should be read, but it's not the only right way. I will be introducing teams for KOFi one by one, and each team will have a thorough explanation regarding its name and members. If you don't want to read that, just go to the end of the text right away and there you will find the list of teams and characters for KOFi. If some of the names or team members don't make sense to you, you can scroll back up to the part where that team is explained. That way, you can read only what you personally consider interesting and save plenty of time. If you're patient enough to read everything, than you're a wonderful person and I love you, and if you're not - I won't hold it against you (I won't even know, of course). It just means you don't like wasting time.

First of all, why a dreammatch? One, it's much easier to write about it, since it's plot-free. Two, my favorite KOF game is KOF '98, which is a dreammatch. But, one thing always botherd me about it - it didn't include all the KOF characters that appeared so far (by that, I mostly mean Kasumi and Eiji, I really missed them there. As for the Bosses Team from KOF '96, I barely noticed they were absent). After some thinking I came to the conclusion that there was no way to include them without having too many single entries (next to Shingo and Rugal) or eliminating other characters. So I fantasized about a dreammatch that would include every single character that has ever appeared in a KOF game, but I soon realized that such dreammatch was impossible, for two reasons: 1) the number of characters that have appeared in KOF games is not divisible by three; 2) even if it were (or maybe it is, I don't know, perhaps I have miscalculated), you can't put all of them in teams that make sense. The third reason is that SNK would never release a game with so many characters. My dreammatch has 23 teams, that's 69 characters. (So, SNK will never make an actual dreammatch of it, sob  so sad… ) For me, it's the next best thing to a perfect dreammatch. It only includes characters that have appeared before KOF XII, since it is not released yet, of course. (One more reason why SNK will not take it - KOF XII will surely introduce some new characters and some of them will certainly appear in the dreammatch after KOF XII, oh, well… I wasn't expecting that, anyway…) I have opted for 3 person teams rather than 4 person teams, because that's the way it was in KOF most of the time, it was easier for me to form teams that way and I like number 3 better thatn number 4. Unfortunately, I couldn't include all of the characters, but I did my best not to leave out the important ones. You'll see.

Since I realize that, by now, even the brave ones that have started reading the entire text have probably scrolled down to the end, I think it's time to start introducing my teams.

The honorary first position goes to the three characters that have marked the game KOF originated from - Fatal Fury. Introducing:

Lone Wolves Team

Terry Bogard

Andy Bogard

Joe Higashi

OK, why Lone Wolves and not Fatal Fury team? Because, "Fatal Fury" is the name of the game, and in KOF and FF universe, SNK never released a game entitled "Fatal Fury". (I don't think SNK exists in that universe.) I don't even know whether the words "Fatal Fury" actually mean something to the other KOF characters. (Some of them maybe know that those words are on Terry's cap, but I doubt that many have bothered to read the inscription.) As for the name I've chosen, Terry, Andy and Joe have been referred to as the Lone Wolves in the intro of Fatal Fury 3, my favorite FF game. (Yes, I'm all about old school.) And Terry's nickname is the Hungry Wolf, I think, and the other KOF characters are far more likely to know that, than the words on his cap. These three guys have been the logical choice, although, I was tempted to put Terry, Duck King and Kim instead, because this team is so adorable. (OK, not the word I was looking for… but, still, I like that team.) Finally, I decided that my dreammatch should be representative of the most of KOF games, and that I really couldn't choose a one-time thing over a team that was a constant point in the game for so long.

Moving on! (you thought it'd never come, huh?) Next up:

Kyokugen Team

Ryo Sakazaki

Robert Garcia

Yuri Sakazaki

OK, it's name is not Art of Fighting team, for the same reason the former team is not Fatal Fury team. But here, choosing a name was much easier, since Kyokugen is a style that really exists in the KOF universe and all of the team members are its practitioners. I didn't choose King, because she has only been a member twice (not to mention that I needed her much more elsewhere), and she's not a Kyokugen fighter. I could have chosen Takuma, but Yuri was a member more often than him, and besides, I found a nice little team just for him.

Next up (wow, this was faster, now, wasn't it?):

Ikari Team

Leona Heidern

Ralf Jones

Clark Still

This time, I didn't change the name (Ikari is the name of the organization and they're all its members, so I thought it was OK). These three have been on this team most often (actually, Ralf and Clark appeared in every single KOF game, and they were always teammates! It would be kinda refreshing to see a KOF with just one of them, don't you think?) , so there was no need to put Heidern or Whip in, but they'll be here also, don't worry.

Our next team (wow, I'm managing to cut those comments, if not short, then, at least shorter!):

Psychic Team

Bao

Sie Kensou

Chin Gentsai

Again, I avoided the name "Psycho Soldier", because it's a game, and all of those three have some kind of psychic power (Chin can spit fire, does that count as psychic? He can also sense evil presence etc.) I bet you're all wondering where's Athena. Well, she was supposed to be here, but due to some very unfortunate circumstances, she wasn't able to make it. She got hit by a bus and died! Just kidding! Did you fall for it? Don't worry, Athena-fans, she'll be here, I'm sorry I have to disappoint all you anti-Athena folks. Her most logical place would be as the leader of this team, of course, but, I really needed her somewhere else. You'll see. Actually, this is the aspect of my dreammatch I expect most of you to disagree with me about. But, who knows? Maybe you'll even like it.

And now, the team I hold a special soft spot in my heart for:

Women Fighters Team

Li Xiangfei

Mai Shiranui

King

This is the team that has changed its members most. But King and Mai are (or should I say "were", since it no longer exists since KOF XI, sob, grunt…  , but maybe it will make a comeback, like Psycho Soldier team did.) the most frequent members (each of them has only been absent once, Mai in '99 and King in 2000). For the third (or first) member I had to choose from a large number of female characters that have been there at some point. After eliminating all the others, because I needed them elsewhere, I had a choice between Hinako and Xiangfei. I like Hinako better (especially since Xiangfei has been portrayed as having an eating disorder! gross!), and she has been a KOF contestant three times (although, not always on this team), while Xiangfei has been there only twice (always on this team), but, at the last minute, I decided to put Xiangfei in, instead. You'll see why.

Moving on to the team that I, personally, find extremely boring:

Korea Team

Kim Kaphwan

Chang Koehan

Choi Bounge

Don't get me wrong, it's nice that Kim wants to reform them, and all, but, nothing interesting EVER happens to these guys. (except switching bodies, of course) They mostly grumble, he mostly orders them around and that's pretty much it. I'm surprised that they lasted as long as the Women Fighters team (also didn't make an appearance in KOF XI). As much as I was willing to squeeze Jhun Hoon in, Chang and Choi have been there more often, so, sorry, Jhun. On the other hand, I didn't even consider putting May Lee in. That, at least to me, would make no sense.

Well, this was my first group of teams, the teams that have been showing up pretty consistently throughout the KOF games. Now, we move on to teams that have appeared only once, and marked that year with their appearance.

First KOF game was KOF'94, so we start with the team that was unique for that year:

USA Sports Team

Heavy D!

Lucky Glauber

Brian Battler

Poor guys, they were never given a second chance. (maybe in KOF'98, but it was a dreammatch, it doesn't count.) Nobody seems to like them. To be honest, I also didn't like them at all, when I've first seen them in KOF'94, but, since I've heard that nobody else liked them either, I felt sorry for them. So, they get a place here.

The team that was unique for KOF'95 was the Rival Team (Iori, Eiji and Billy), but I need all of those guys elsewhere, so we move on right to the team that was unique for KOF'96:

The Bosses Team

Geese Howard

Wolfgang Krauser

Mr Big

Other team unique for this game is Kasumi, Mai and King, but I have already placed Mai and King up there, which you know if you have been paying attention. Also Iori, Mature and Vice could be here, although they have appeared together in two subsequent dreammatches, but like I already said, I don't count that. I only count competing in real KOF tournaments. But I have other plans for those three. You'll see. (Gosh, I'm being so mysterious…).

Next up, the team simply known as:

'97 Special Team

Ryuji Yamazaki

Blue Mary

Billy Kane

I checked at KOF 10th anniversary website, and it seems that this team has no other name.

I know that Mary have appeared many times in KOF after that, but she was put back in this team even for KOF'02, probably because all of the other places were taken. So that's why she's here again. As for Yamazaki, he has never appeared without Billy, so it seemed logical to put them together. Billy appeared without Yamazaki in'95, but, still, he was with him most of the time. I could have teamed them up with Gato…, but this just seemed better.

The year of 1997, however, introduced another team, that appeared only then, as far as the real tournaments are concerned, but was brought back for both of the following dreammatches, like the previous team. Of course, it's the legendary:

New Face Team

Yashiro Nanakase

Shermie

Chris

This team has also been called Orochi Team sometimes, but I like "New Face Team" better. If KOFi was a real game, I would make sure that Orochi versions of Chris, Shermie and Yashiro were playable, as hidden characters. (But I wouldn't use some ridiculously complicated code. Something elegant and simple, like pressing the Start button.)

Although KOF'98 was a dreammatch, it also had a unique team, something I generally think dreammatches shouldn't have ( I mean, you can't join three people for the dreammatch if they have never fought together in real tournaments, and especially if they have nothing in common!), but these three guys have something in common and the existence of this team didn't eliminate any other character. (…unlike certain nonsensical team in KOF'02, grumbles…) It's, of course:

Oyaji Team

Heidern

Takuma Sakazaki

Saisyu Kusanagi

I really wonder what's Heidern's first name… (wow, I was really brief this time! I had a longer introduction, though… damnit!)

OK, KOF'99 was the beginning of the N.E.S.T.S. chronicles, and the four-person teams. Since I have opted for three-person teams for KOFi, I can't really have any of those teams here, but I will patch up teams made of characters that were introduced during this era. In '99, the only team that was really new was the Hero team, but it will not appear here. Other teams pretty much just added a new character in, or returned an old one. Plus, I have already introduced all those other teams in their three-person versions. So, there will be no '99 special team in my dreammatch. That means we're moving on straight to 2000, and introducing:

2000 Special Team

Vanessa

Ramon

Seth

I have searched through a couple of web-sites, but I didn't find any special name for this team, and I wasn't feeling creative, so I just left this name. I was having second thoughts about this team, because although all of these characters have made their first appearance in KOF2000, they weren't on the same team until 2001. But, this team existed in KOF'02 and I think that its name there also was "KOF 2000 team" or something…

Next up:

2001 Special Team

Kula Diamond

Angel

K9999

This team has also been named "N.E.S.T.S. team", but I have another team in store that I think that name will suit better. They are just agents, none of them was ever calling the shots at the cartel. Unlike with the previous team, I had no doubts here - they were all introduced in 2001 (OK, not Kula, but she was competing in KOF for the first time then), and this team also appeared in '02.

KOF'02 was a dreammatch, just like '98. It also had a unique team, but that team disgusted me, so it will not be here. I'm talking, of course, about the Women Fighters team, which included May Lee, instead of King (who is my favorite character EVER!). Besides, I already placed Yuri and Mai elsewhere. So, it's on to '03 and the beginning of the Tales of Ash… That KOF had 11 teams, many of which were never seen before. But, after I placed most of the characters from those teams in some more traditional combinations, I had only one team left. So here it is, the team that marked KOF'03:

Japan Team

Benimaru Nikaido

Goro Daimon

Shingo Yabuki

Am I wrong when I say that this is surely a surprise for most of you? Where's Kyo, you wonder. In the beginning, I planned to have Kyo in the standard Hero team with Benimaru and Daimon. But Kyo was meant for greater things. Besides, Benimaru and Shingo have been teammates constantly from '99 to '03. You may disagree with me, but I think that, by now, Shingo is much closer to Benimaru than he ever was to Kyo. Kyo was just his idol, that never gave him the time of day, and although Shingo looked up to him, I don't think that he ever actually got a chance to really get to know him. On the other hand, when you fight alongside someone for four years, like Shingo did with Benimaru, that person may not become your friend, but you certainly get closer to him/her and get to know him/her really well.

Now, it's time for KOF XI! King is my favorite KOF character, but the team I'm about to introduce is my favorite KOF team! Get ready for:

Anti-Kyokugenryu Team

Kasumi Todoh

Eiji Kisaragi

Malin

Kasumi and Eiji, the two characters I maybe would have never payed attention to if they weren't left out of KOF'98, in a team, together! Such a heartwarming moment, for me, at least (yes, I get emotional reactions on the strangest things…) However, I have a bad feeling that this team is just a one time thing. There's no way it's gonna show up again for KOF XII. All the best things are short-lived…

Another team, specific for XI, but unlike the previous one, this team leaves me completely unmoved, and the only reason I included it here is because I wanted as many characters as possible:

Garou: Mark of the Wolves Team

Bonne Jenet

Tizoc

Gato

I have never played Garou:MOTW, I don't know anything about these characters' history (except a few things I found on the Internet), I don't know what are they doing in KOF… (OK, I know the official version, but it's just stupid. Well, not Gato.) In short, this team means nothing to me. Moving on!

This is the end of my second group of teams. If I would end it all now, you would probably notice that there was no Kyo, K' or Ash. That's because they are all in my third group of teams - the Hero teams!

First up:

Orochi Saga Hero Team

Kyo Kusanagi

Chizuru Kagura

Iori Yagami

...also known as the Three Sacred Treasures team. OK, I know it's a bit controversial. The official hero team for the Orochi saga are Kyo, Benimaru and Daimon. But, the ones who actually defeated Orochi are Iori, Kyo and Chizuru, and, to me, Chizuru and Iori are much bigger heroes than Benimaru and Daimon. (Not that I have anything against them, I just think this is the way it should be.)

The heroes of the second KOF story arc:

N.E.S.T.S. Chronicles Hero Team

K'

Maxima

Whip

This team appeared in KOF'02 and it was also named something like this. Maxima has always been alongside K', so he's naturally in, and I think that Whip deserves the third spot on this team much more than any other previous teammates of K' and Maxima. (She is, after all, his sister.)

The third, and so far, the final hero team, although this hero is more of a villain:

Tales of Ash Hero Team

Ash Crimson

Duo Lon

Shen Woo

I could have placed Oswald here instead of Duo Lon, and then have Duo Lon join with Elisabeth and Benimaru, but then Benimaru wouldn't be able to join Shingo and Daimon. Finally, I decided that Shingo and Daimon were more important to me than Oswald and Elisabeth, two characters that have appeared only once. (Ash Crimson is such a beautiful name, don't you think so? Ash… and crimson… these two colors really go well together.)

It's interesting that all three hero teams, as I have formed them here, have appeared in KOF'03. I decided not to have them at the beginning (the place that's usually reserved for the current hero team), because there's three of them now, and I don't think it's fair that someone who hasn't appeared until '03 gets mentioned before someone that has participated in every KOF so far.

So, I'm through with the more-or-less canonical teams. Now it's time for my fourth group of teams. In this fourth group, I basically did something I said shouldn't be done in dreammatches, i.e. I formed teams with characters that have never been on the same team. But, the teams I made aren't nonsensical, all the members have something in common, and the existence of these teams didn't eliminate any character that had more right to make an appearance. I simply included them so that some characters that are important to me wouldn't be left out. So, here is the fourth and the final group, the teams that never made it into KOF, but the teams I can totally see happening.

The honor to be the first in this group belongs to:

Hakkesshu Team

Leopold Goenitz

Mature

Vice

I needed Iori for the Sacred Treasures team, but I just couldn't make a dreammatch without Mature and Vice. My first idea was to join them with Rugal, because if you play with that team (Rugal, Mature, Vice) in KOF'98 you get a special ending picture if you clear all stages. They were both his secretaries, so it made sense. But, they were never really loyal to Rugal. They worked for Goenitz all the time (they eventually betrayed him, but, oh well…). So I teamed them up with Goenitz.

As for Rugal, I placed him in a team he will feel much more comfortable in (at least I think so):

Bernstein Family Team

Rugal Bernstein

Adelheid Bernstein

Rose Berstein

Now, ain't this nice? One big, happy family… Of course, it might turn out that they actually hate each other. I bet that Rugal was never around, always busy with his illegal affairs. And when he was around, he was probably tyrannizing the children (especially Adelheid, I think). I wonder what happened with their mother…

So, here I have some of the bosses from the Orochi Saga, so it's time to have some from the N.E.S.T.S. chronicles. Here comes:

N.E.S.T.S. Officials Team

Foxy

Krizalid

Zero

This Zero is the original, not the clone, because the clone tried to betray N.E.S.T.S. and these three characters were all loyal until the end. They were also all officials, that is, they all had some decision-making power, but none of them was the true boss (that was Igniz).

Although I probably could form a team containing some of the bosses and mid-bosses from the Tales of Ash (e.g. Mukai, Magaki, Shion), I will not do that now, because I don't know what will happen in KOF XII, and when that game is released I might add in a team consisting of Mukai, Magaki and the boss from XII. But, I will probably be too lazy for that.

So, that's it. The end. Good bye. Just kidding! There's still something missing. You know what that is? Why, it's little miss Athena Asamiya, of course! Remember? She wasn't in the Psychic team. The character that SNK has focused so much on during the years, giving her new outfits, changing her hair style… (unlike poor Yuri who was stuck with her original clothes from '94 for so long, and let's face it, that outfit is just plain UGLY!) … and here she comes in last (that might cheer some of you anti-Athena people up, and I know there's plenty of you on but this is, by no means a fanservice!). I didn't want to leave Bao out, and Athena has formed the High School Girls team in '03, so my first idea was to have Bao with Kensou and Chin and Athena with Hinako and Malin. (although I can't believe that Athena was still in high school in '03! Did she repeat grades like Kyo? Probably not, since she is the reference to (or the reincarnation of) the Greek goddess of wisdom. How old was she then in '94? 9?!! Or is she ageless? But, still, she couldn't have been in high school longer than four years. Maybe she was made an honorary perpetual student of her high-school…) However, I needed Malin for Anti-Kyokugenryu team. And that team was really important to me, since Kasumi and Eiji were there. After being left out of KOF'98 I couldn't have done the same to them here. So, then I settled for having Athena in Psychic team and Hinako in Women Fighters team, thus leaving Bao and Xiangfei out of this dreammatch (I already said I liked Hinako better than Xiangfei). And just as I was ready to post this, an idea crossed my mind. It was so crazy, that I thought at first: "Nah, it'll never work." But, the more I thought about it, the more I liked it, and I finally decided I could have my cake and eat it, too. I decided to form the High School Girls team, but not the one from '03, since Malin was, like I said, with Kasumi and Eiji. And so, finally, here it is! Proudly presenting:

Badly Patched-Up High School Girls Team

Athena Asamiya

Hinako Shijou

May Lee

So, what do you think? Have I created a monster, like doctor Frankenstein? But, if you think about it, it's no more bizarre than Women Fighters team from '02. Here, like there, we have May Lee filling in the third spot on a team with people she has never fought alongside with, and who she probably doesn't even know. But, here, unlike there, her presence isn't eliminating a character, it is enabling participation for two other characters (Bao and Xiangfei). So, instead of being the usurper, she is now the savior. By deciding to make a tradition out of what was (at least to me) a mistake, I have enabled May Lee to redeem herself for expelling my favorite character back in '02. (This is not unheard-of, by the way. In '98, due to an intro-bug, Leona saluted Chang instead of Ralf. This intro was intentionally returned in '01.) As for the name, the Women Fighters team was really badly and sloppily patched-up in '02. As a reference to that, I now have a badly patched-up School Girls team.

So, that was the last, 23rd team in this dreammatch. It has no single entries. Now, only thing left to do is to introduce the boss. I decided not to break with tradition this time, so, like in '98 and '02:

the Boss

Omega Rugal

If this was a real game, he wouldn't be playable. But, he also wouldn't be super-cheap. Maybe just a little SNK boss syndrome, but nothing annoying.

Now, this is really the end. If you have been impatient, you have come here right away. So, as I promised in the beginning, I now provide the list of teams for KOFi, for all those sensible people who wouldn't bother to read through all of my babbling. This list could also be useful for those super-nice people that have read everything, since they might have easily forgotten some, or most of my teams.

Lone Wolves Team: Terry, Andy & Joe

Kyokugen Team: Ryo, Robert & Yuri

Ikari Team: Leona, Ralf & Clark

Psychic Team: Bao, Kensou & Chin

Women Fighters Team: Xiangfei, Mai & King

Korea Team: Kim, Chang & Choi

USA Sports Team: Heavy D!, Lucky & Brian

The Bosses Team: Geese, Krauser & Mr Big

'97 Special Team: Yamazaki, Mary & Billy

New Face Team: Yashiro, Shermie & Chris

Oyaji Team: Heidern, Takuma & Saisyu

2000 Special Team: Vanessa, Ramon & Seth

2001 Special Team: Kula, Angel & K9999

Japan Team: Benimaru, Daimon & Shingo

Anti-Kyokugenryu Team: Kasumi, Eiji & Malin

Garou: Mark of the Wolves Team: Jenet, Tizoc & Gato

Orochi Saga Hero Team: Kyo, Chizuru & Iori

N.E.S.T.S. Chronicles Hero Team: K', Maxima & Whip

Tales of Ash Hero Team: Ash, Duo Lon & Shen Woo

Hakkesshu Team: Goenitz, Mature & Vice

Bernstein Family Team: Rugal, Adelheid & Rose

N.E.S.T.S. Officials Team: Foxy, Krizalid & Zero

Badly Patched-Up High School Girls Team: Athena, Hinako & May Lee

OK, now, that's really all. Did you like it? Please, review this. Both positive and negative feedback is very welcome, but if you didn't like it, don't just say that it sucks, tell me what exactly you didn't like and why. Be nice, after all, this is my first work. My first real fanfiction ( with plot and all) will be up in a couple of weeks. And if I get some nice reviews, I'll keep on writing. P.S. I really won't be able to take seriously the reviews of the people who have only read the list of teams at the end. P.P.S. I will reply to each review posted by someone with an account on this site (if that person logs in first, of course). Unless you specifically state that you don't want a reply…

Take care, my best wishes, and, hopefully, I'll see you soon,

yours truly,

ALLRRPRP