Art of Fighting
North American Neo Geo AES cover art for Art of Fighting
Genre(s)Fighting
Developer(s)SNK
Publisher(s)SNK
Creator(s)Hiroshi Matsumoto
Platform(s)Arcade, Neo Geo AES, Neo-Geo CD, SNES, Mega Drive/Genesis, PC Engine CD, PlayStation 2, Wii (Virtual Console)
First releaseArt of Fighting
1992
Latest releaseArt of Fighting Anthology
2007

Art of Fighting (Japanese: 龍虎の拳, Hepburn: Ryūko no Ken, lit. "Fist of Dragon and Tiger") is a fighting video game trilogy that were released for the Neo Geo platform in the early 1990s. It was the second fighting game franchise created by SNK, following the Fatal Fury series and is set in the same fictional universe as a prequel to the Fatal Fury series. The original Art of Fighting was released in 1992, followed by two sequels: Art of Fighting 2 (龍虎の拳2, Ryūko no Ken 2) in 1994 and Art of Fighting 3: The Path of the Warrior (ART OF FIGHTING 龍虎の拳 外伝, Art of Fighting: Ryūko no Ken Gaiden) in 1996.

Games

Titles in the Art of Fighting series
English title Original platform Release date Ports
Art of Fighting Arcade 1992-09-24 Arcade, Neo Geo AES, Neo Geo CD, Game Boy, PC Engine Arcade CD-ROM², Sega Genesis, SNES
Art of Fighting 2 Arcade 1994-02-03 Arcade, Neo Geo AES, Neo Geo CD, SNES
Art of Fighting 3: The Path of the Warrior Arcade 1996-03-12 Arcade, Neo Geo AES, Neo Geo CD

Art of Fighting (1992)

Art of Fighting
Developer(s)
Publisher(s)
SNK
  • SNES
    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
SeriesArt of Fighting
Platform(s)
Release
  • 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
    PC Engine Arcade CD-ROM²
    • JP: 26 March 1994
    Neo Geo CD
Genre(s)Fighting
Mode(s)
Arcade systemNeo 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]

Bonus Stages

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

Bottle Cut

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.

Ice Pillar Smash

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.

Initiate Super Death Blow

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.

Amusements Arcade UK: Butlin's Minehead list

Art of Fighting 3: The Path of the Warrior (1996)

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
SeriesArt of Fighting
Platform(s)
Release
  • 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)
Arcade systemNeo Geo MVS

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.

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

The story switched focus from the Sakazakis 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.

Reception

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.[5] 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.[6] According to Famitsu, the Neo Geo CD version sold over 20,877 copies in its first week on the market.[7]

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.

Gameplay

The Art of Fighting series follows the conventions of the time in the sense that the player faces a variety of opponents in best two-out-of-three matches. Each of the game's characters have a unique fighting style and set of special techniques. The player has two basic attacks—punch and kick—as well as a utility button that switches between punches, kicks, and throws. A fourth button is used for taunting. Art of Fighting's contribution to the genre was the inclusion of a "spirit gauge" underneath the character's life bar. When characters perform special techniques, their spirit gauge is depleted and their special attacks become weaker. Players can also drain their opponent's spirit gauge by taunting them.

The Art of Fighting series was also the first fighting series to allow players to perform a "super attack". In the original Art of Fighting, the player's character can learn a super attack (dubbed the super death blow) by completing one of the game's bonus rounds (this technique is available by default in the 3rd game). All three games also feature "Desperation Attacks" that can only be performed when the player's health is low and the life bar is flashing.

The series also introduced graphical scaling into the fighting game genre: as the characters move towards each other, the camera zooms in to maximize the level of detail. Character sprites in Art of Fighting change as the fight progresses to become more bruised and cut as damage is taken.

Plot

The games follow the struggles of the students of the Kyokugen Karate Dojo, Ryo Sakazaki and Robert Garcia, in 1978. Ryo is the son and prodigy of the Kyokugen Karate discipline's creator, Takuma Sakazaki, and Robert is the wayward son of a billionaire family from Italy, sent to train with Takuma as a favor to Robert's father. The initial two games are set in South Town, a common location in SNK games that is also the setting for the Fatal Fury series, while the third appears to take place in a fictitious area of Mexico.

Series' continuity

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.

Ports and compilations

All three games were released for the Neo Geo MVS arcade system, Neo Geo AES home console, and Neo Geo CD, with the first one also being included on SNK Arcade Classics Vol. 1:

  • Art of Fighting for the PC Engine CD (requires the Arcade Card, Japan only), SNES, and Sega Genesis/Mega Drive
  • Ryuuko no Ken 2 (Art of Fighting 2) for the Super Famicom (Japan only)
  • Art of Fighting Anthology (龍虎の拳 ～天・地・人～, Ryuuko no Ken Tenchijin) for the PlayStation 2 includes: Art of Fighting, Art of Fighting 2, and Art of Fighting 3: The Path of the Warrior
  • Art of Fighting, Art of Fighting 2, and Art of Fighting 3: The Path of the Warrior for the Wii Virtual Console

The SNES version of Art of Fighting features an extended ending which ties into Art of Fighting 2, rather than ending the game on a cliffhanger like the Neo Geo, PC Engine CD, and Mega Drive/Genesis versions. Additionally, the English localization of the port was censored. Many of the locations had their names changed (Mac's Bar was changed to Mac's Cafe), the No Smoking sign in Todo's stage was removed, and the player can only partially expose King's bra when she is defeated with a special or super move. The vehicle driving scenes were also omitted.

The Neo Geo version of Art of Fighting was released for the Wii Virtual Console in October 2007 and Art of Fighting 2 was released in July 2008.

The PlayStation 2 version of Art of Fighting stays true to the original Neo Geo version, but the vocals in the opening title have been stripped, as have Ryo's and Yuri's vocals during the ending.

The Mega Drive/Genesis version lacks the zooming effect.[8] Certain gameplay elements have been changed as well; the Ryuuko Ranbu is blockable, Jack's drop kick special move only goes two-thirds the length of the screen, and Lee's claw spin attacks have invincibility during the starting pose, among various other changes.

Appearances outside the series

Some of the Art of Fighting cast have continued appearing in other SNK fighting games (particularly in The King of Fighters series, which the titular tournaments itself, as it mentioned above, canonically and chronologically, having beginning during the events of Art of Fighting 2) since the last game in the Art of Fighting series was released. In the same way that Geese Howard appears as a secret boss in Art of Fighting 2, Ryo Sakazaki appears as a secret boss in Fatal Fury Special and Fatal Fury: Wild Ambition. Unlike the battle against Geese in Art of Fighting 2, the battles against Ryo in both games are depicted as a "dream matches" and do not occur in the series' storyline.

As a result of these crossover appearances between the two franchises, SNK produced The King of Fighters series, pitting characters from both series against each other. As mentioned in the continuity section above, the series eschews the continuity of the Art of Fighting and Fatal Fury games for the purpose of having the Art of Fighting cast fight against everyone else without aging them. Ryo, Robert, and Yuri have appeared in nearly every installment along with King, Takuma, and Kasumi, who are constant characters as well. Eiji and Mr. Big also made appearances as playable characters in the series.

Characters from the series have also appeared in the SNK vs. Capcom series and in NeoGeo Battle Coliseum. Capcom's Capcom vs. SNK: Millennium Fight 2000 features Ryo, Yuri, and King while Capcom vs. SNK 2 adds Ryuhaku Todoh to the lineup. SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos features Ryo, Kasumi, and Takuma under his Mr. Karate guise. NeoGeo Battle Coliseum features Lee Pai Long, Mr. Big and an aged Robert Garcia along with the older Ryo Sakazaki from Buriki One. In KOF: Maximum Impact 2, Ryuhaku Todoh drives the truck in one of the extra games.

The Street Fighter Alpha character Dan Hibiki is a parody of Ryo Sakazaki and Robert Garcia.

In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, some elements from the Art of Fighting series appear as downloadable content; specifically, two music tracks from the series appear (and can be played on the King of Fighters Stadium stage), Ryo Sakazaki makes three cameos in the game (as a background character in King of Fighters Stadium, as a spirit, and as the basis for a Mii costume), and Yuri Sakazaki and King both have background cameos in King of Fighters Stadium.

Characters

Art of Fighting was the first fighting game by SNK to feature the character designs of former illustrator Shinkiro, who would go on to do the character designs for the later Fatal Fury and The King of Fighters games.

Introduced in Art of Fighting

Ryo Sakazaki

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.[9] This would in turn later lead to the creation of the Street Fighter character Dan Hibiki as a satire of Ryo.[10]

Robert Garcia

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.[11] As such, both Ryo Sakazaki and Robert go to Southtown to interrogate fighters until finding Mr. Big.[12] 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.[13] 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.[14] 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.[15] In his ending, Robert stops Wyler and goes back to Italy. However, before entering into the plane, Yuri accompanies him.[16]

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.[17] With the arrival of The King of Fighters '99 and its teams of four, Takuma returns to the Art of Fighting team.[18][19][20] 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.[21] 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.[22] 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.[23] 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.[24] He appears in this form as a hidden character in the PlayStation 2 version of The King of Fighters XI.[25] He returns in The King of Fighters XII onwards as part of the Art of Fighting Team.[26]

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.[27][28]

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.[29][30] He is also present in mobile phone games Metal Slug Defense, The King of Fighters '98 Unlimited Match Online and Kimi wa Hero.[31][32][33] The dating sim Days of Memories also features him.[34] 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.[35][36] Another cameo of him is in Yuri's ending from SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy.[37] He is also present in as well as the otome game King of Fighters for Girls.[38]

Ryuhaku Todoh

Voiced by: Takayuki Sakai (AOF), Takeshi Aono (AOF anime, CVS2) (Japanese); James Carter Cathcart (AOF anime)[39] (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.

Jack Turner

Voiced by: Ginzō Matsuo (AOF anime) (Japanese); Eric Stuart (AOF anime), Micheal Beard (AOF1–AOF2 game)[39] (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.

Lee Pai Long

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.

King

Voiced by: Harumi Ikoma (games, KOF: D), Masako Katsuki (AOF anime), Yumi Tōma (KOF '94 Drama CD) (Japanese); Sharon Becker (AOF anime)[39] (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.

Mickey Rogers

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.

John Crawley

Voiced by: Masaki Usui (AOF–AOF2), Kaneto Shiozawa (AOF anime) (Japanese); Eric Stuart (AOF anime)[39] (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.

Mr. Big

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)[39] (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.

Takuma Sakazaki

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.

Introduced in Art of Fighting 2

Yuri Sakazaki

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.

Reception and cultural impact

Yuri has been well received by Japanese gamers, having been voted as the 19th favorite character in the 1997 character popularity poll on Neo Geo Freak's website.[40] In 1995, Japanese magazine Gamest ranked her as number seven in the list of the top characters of 1994.[41] In 2018, Yuri was voted as the tenth most popular Neo Geo character.[42] Tiago O. Frosi from Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul regarded Yuri as one of the most impactful female characters in fighting game history due to how she initially debuts as a damsel in distress only to become a playable character both in the sequel and SNK's crossover video games. She was compared with Street Fighter character Sakura Kasugano for having similar archetypes as well as an imitated fighting style from veteran fighters.[43]

Gavin Jasper of Den of Geek described her as adding to her family's "wonderful comedic existence", but felt she was more at place there than in King of Fighters as part of the Women's Team. He added "She’s not quite Sakura and she’s not quite Dan Hibiki, but she’s fine for what she is," and praised her departure from a damsel in distress to a full character as the games progressed.[44]

Anime

A Japanese animated television movie, Art of Fighting (バトルスピリッツ 龍虎の拳, Battle Spirits Ryūko no Ken), was created and directed by Hiroshi Fukutomi, animated by Studio Comet and produced by NAS. It was the third animated co-production between SNK and NAS, following Fatal Fury: Legend of the Hungry Wolf and Fatal Fury 2: The New Battle. The designs of some characters were based on their appearances in the Japanese commercials for Art of Fighting 2. Although most of the cast from the original game is featured, Lee Pai Long, Micky Rogers and Takuma Sakazaki do not appear. Yuri Sakazaki is voiced by Ayumi Hamasaki, before she established herself as a successful J-Pop singer. In the English distribution, she was voiced by Veronica Taylor, who was also known for voicing Ash in the first 8 seasons of the Pokémon anime, as well as the first 8 Pokémon films and the hour long special Pokémon: Mewtwo Returns.

Art of Fighting was produced by Kenji Shimizu and Yoshiro Kataoka for Fuji TV on 23 December 1993. It features a script by Nobuaki Kishima, character design by Kazunori Iwakura, and was distributed in the English language by US Manga Corps in 1997.

Art of Fighting has received negative reception by most American websites. It was billed as stupid, idiotic and plodding,[45] and compared to a Saturday morning cartoon.[46][47] It was said it had "choppy animation, illogical perspectives, uninspired art, badly choreographed fight scenes, and most of all horrible voice acting",[45] and none of the interest of the video game or its sequels translate into the anime.[48] The film gathered a 14% rating at Meta Anime Rviews,[49] placing it in the bottom 3% of the reviewed titles.

Plot

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.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Art of Fighting user's manual (Neo Geo AES, US)
  2. ↑ "RePlay: The Players' Choice". RePlay. Vol. 18, no. 3. December 1992. p. 13.
  3. ↑ "The Softouch – Software Information: 新作情報 -- 龍虎の拳". Oh!X (in Japanese). No. 143. SoftBank Creative. March 1994. p. 25.
  4. ↑ "Ready Yourself for Motion-Captured SNK Action!". Maximum: The Video Game Magazine. Emap International Limited (5): 122. April 1996.
  5. ↑ "Review Crew: Art of Fighting 3". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 83. Ziff Davis. June 1996. p. 28.
  6. ↑ "Art of Fighting 3". Next Generation. Imagine Media (19): 83. July 1996.
  7. ↑ "Game Search". Game Data Library. Archived from the original on 24 April 2019. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  8. ↑ "International Outlook". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 53. EGM Media, LLC. December 1993. p. 86.
  9. ↑ "The Man Who Created Street Fighter". 1UP.com. Archived from the original on 14 April 2016. Retrieved 27 March 2016.
  10. ↑ "Top 25 Street Fighter Characters - Day III". IGN. 6 August 2008. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
  11. ↑ SNK (24 September 1992). Art of Fighting (Neo Geo). SNK. Level/area: Scene 7 The Factory. Mr. Big: Yuri, about that girl. She's almost done climbing the stairway to heaven.
  12. ↑ SNK (24 September 1992). Art of Fighting (Neo Geo). SNK. Level/area: Intro sequence.
  13. ↑ SNK (24 September 1992). Art of Fighting 2 (Neo Geo). SNK. Level/area: Ending.
  14. ↑ SNK (1994). Art of Fighting 2 (Neo Geo). SNK. Level/area: Intro sequence.
  15. ↑ SNK (12 March 1996). Art of Fighting 3 (Neo Geo). SNK. Level/area: Robert Garcia ending. Robert: Know Kyokugen's true power!/Wyler: Ohh! The pain! Father, help!/Robert: What the...? Now he is in fear?/Freia: The drug side effect regressed his mental Age to a child. To the time when he was living happily with his father. I'm sorry Robert... I, I can't leave him like this. If I leave him now, I would be repeating what my father did to his... I can't abandon him.
  16. ↑ SNK (12 March 1996). Art of Fighting 3 (Neo Geo). SNK. Level/area: Ryo Sakazaki ending. Ryo: Are you just letting him go?/Yuri:.../Ryo: Geez, you're stubborn. Here.../Yuri: Bro, this is a.../Ryo: You better say it to him before I change my mind./Yuri: ... thanks... bro.../Ryo: Take care of her, Robby!
  17. ↑ "KOF 96 Art of Fighting team story". The King of Fighters 10th Anniversary official website. Archived from the original on 16 May 2008. Retrieved 27 September 2009.
  18. ↑ "KOF 99 Art of Fighting team story". The King of Fighters 10th Anniversary Official Website. Archived from the original on 28 May 2008. Retrieved 27 September 2009.
  19. ↑ "KOF 2000 Art of Fighting team story". The King of Fighters 10th Anniversary Official Website. Archived from the original on 19 April 2009. Retrieved 27 September 2009.
  20. ↑ "KOF 2003 Art of Fighting team story". The King of Fighters 10th Anniversary Official Website. Archived from the original on 3 August 2012. Retrieved 21 March 2009.
  21. ↑ "KOF XI Art of Fighting Team Story" (in Japanese). The King of Fighters 10th Anniversary Official Website. Archived from the original on 18 December 2008. Retrieved 21 March 2009.
  22. ↑ SNK (1999). The King of Fighters Kyo (PlayStation). SNK. Level/area: China.
  23. ↑ "Neo Geo Battle Coliseum official website". SNK Playmore. Archived from the original on 4 November 2006. Retrieved 8 August 2008.
  24. ↑ SNK Playmore, Arc System Works. NeoGeo Battle Coliseum (PlayStation 2). SNK Playmore.
  25. ↑ "The King of Fighters XI Hints & Cheats". gamespot.com. Archived from the original on 5 July 2006. Retrieved 21 March 2009.
  26. ↑ "Terry Bogard, Clark Still, Maxima, and the King of Dinosaurs Join The King of Fighters XIV". Siliconera. February 17, 2016. Archived from the original on February 19, 2016. Retrieved February 17, 2016.
  27. ↑ "KOF 2002". King of Fighters 10th Anniversary official website. Archived from the original on 7 February 2009. Retrieved 18 March 2009.
  28. ↑ "The King of Fighters Neowave official website". SNK Playmore. Archived from the original on 28 February 2009. Retrieved 18 March 2009.
  29. ↑ "The King of Fighters '98". King of Fighters 10th Anniversary official website. Archived from the original on 20 February 2009. Retrieved 18 March 2009.
  30. ↑ "KOF 2002 UM Hints & Cheats". GameSpot.com. Archived from the original on 2 March 2009. Retrieved 4 April 2009.
  31. ↑ "Robert Garcia". GiantBomb. Archived from the original on 1 October 2014. Retrieved 4 October 2018.
  32. ↑ "ロバート". Kimuti98. Archived from the original on 30 August 2018. Retrieved 4 October 2018.
  33. ↑ "「龍虎の拳コラボガチャ」開催のお知らせ". SNK. 15 June 2018. Retrieved 4 October 2018.
  34. ↑ "Days of Memories". SNK. Archived from the original on 8 July 2017. Retrieved 4 October 2018.
  35. ↑ Playmore. SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos. Level/area: Ryo Sakazaki ending.
  36. ↑ Playmore. SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos. Level/area: Takuma Sakazaki ending.
  37. ↑ SNK Playmore. SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy (PlayStation 4). SNK.
  38. ↑ "SNK, Victor Entertainment Reveal 'King of Fighters for Girls' Smartphone Game". Anime News Network. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
  39. 1 2 3 4 5 "Art of Fighting (1997 Movie)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
  40. ↑ Gamest, ed. (1997). Gamest Game Hero Collection 1997; issue 208 (in Japanese). Shinseisha. p. 1.
  41. ↑ Ishii, Zenji; Pigu (January 1995). "第８回 ゲーメスト大賞". Gamest Magazine (136): 40. Archived from the original on 4 March 2009. Retrieved 25 December 2008.
  42. ↑ "NEOGEO mini（ネオジオミニ）発売記念 好きなキャラクター人気投票＆NEOGEO mini入ってほしかったゲームのアンケート結果を中間発表！ 1位はコイツで"オーケー！"" (in Japanese). Famitsu. July 5, 2018. Archived from the original on July 5, 2018. Retrieved July 29, 2018.
  43. ↑ "As Rainhas da Luta: representações das mulheres karate-ka nos Jogos Digitais" (PDF). Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  44. ↑ Jasper, Gavin (14 November 2016). "King of Fighters: Ranking All the Characters". Den of Geek. Archived from the original on 2 July 2018. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
  45. 1 2 Review by Anime Jump Archived 4 December 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  46. ↑ "Art of Fighting – Anime Review". Animeworld. 28 October 2018. Retrieved 6 December 2018.
  47. ↑ Review by THEM Anime
  48. ↑ Review by Anime on DVD Archived 7 June 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  49. ↑ "Reviews at Animecritic". Archived from the original on 4 December 2008. Retrieved 16 January 2009.
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