Jamesthetaker
He/Him- 6,802
- 1,878
A thread to upgrade to KOF characters to Tier 2 based on the recent KOF XIV & XV games. But, before we get into the feats, I would like to go over a few things about the game's canonicity and supplementary materials, as fighting game powerscaling standards have been around for a while on our site.
Another feature of the games are unique interactions between specific characters when pitted against one another. Some of these interactions also refer to past events, such as Leona mentioning Team Sacred Treasure (Kyo, Iori, Chizuru) sealing Orochi in XIV or Ash recalling how he stole the Yata mirror from Chizuru in KOF 2003. Therefore, both team endings and unique interactions would meet the required canon standard.
In the KOF multiverse, there exists a being known as Re Verse, who is described as a "crucible of souls" that travels between universes, connects all worlds, and converges all possibilities in order to maintain equilibrium. Its goal is to appear at the end of the world and collect the souls across the past, present, and future for a greater god. The powerful emotions in souls allow it to create a portal for its master to enter our world.
That god is known as the "Mother Goddess," the "Dimensional Beast," or Otoma=Raga, who governs destruction and creation. She has lived in a neighboring world to ours since the birth of the universe. Once her herald has gathered enough souls, she will appear in our world to destroy it before ushering in the age of restoration. Further supported by Verse/Re Verse claiming that everything will be destroyed.
In these instances, the term "worlds" has been used in conjunction with concepts such as universe and multiverse. The universe is said to have infinite possibilities, and worlds diverge based on different choices. Therefore, it is reasonable to claim that the term "worlds" here refers to the entire 4-D spacetime continuum. Otoma=Raga would warrant a Low 2-C rating via destroying the entire world.
Team Hero (Shun'ei, Meitenkun, Benimaru) and Team Rivals (Isla, Dolores, Heidern) are two canonical teams that face off against Re Verse and Otoma=Raga due to Shun'ei and Isla's Amplified Specter power resonating with Re Verse, causing the entity to materialize. Dolores stated that the only way to defeat Otoma=Raga is to seal her away via co-annihilation with an Amplified Specter, implying that no other characters can defeat Otoma=Raga without such power. Additionally, it was the Amplified Specter power that returned the fighters to the real world, which would have been impossible normally.
However, there are two other teams that have unique cutscenes against Re Verse, being Team Sacred Treasure (Kyo, Iori, Chizuru) and Team Ash (Kukri, Ash, Elisabeth). Although there were no similar cutscenes against Otoma=Raga, we can assume that the goddess still appeared after defeating Re Verse. Given how unique cutscenes and interactions are handled in the game, as explained above, we could consider these two teams encounters as alternative canon.
For the sake of simplicity, each member of all the teams mentioned above has unique interactions with other teams in the tournament, which I will not go into detail about because there are so many! For the time being, I believe it is reasonable to assume that all characters are relative to one another, and the specifics of who is stronger or weaker can be discussed later.
So yeah, Low 2-C free-for-all.
However, for the time being, I would recommend splitting into only two keys: "Orochi Saga to Ash Saga (KOF '94 to KOF XIII)" and "New Age Saga (KOF XIV to KOF XV)". The reason is that I have yet to delve deeply into KOF games aside from XIV and XV to be knowledgeable enough about the power gap between each saga. Regardless of previous sagas' power levels, I believe that Low 2-C is a significant tier jump enough to warrant a different key rather than composite the character's peak power.
Powerscaling Canonicity
In KOF games, the story mode allows players to choose three playable characters for a team; selecting specific characters in a team will display that team's ending cutscene after winning, and some teams even have unique cutscenes throughout the story, such as Team Hero (Shun'ei, Meitenkun, Benimaru). On the other hand, selecting random characters will only see general cutscenes and the generic Team Edit ending in XV.Another feature of the games are unique interactions between specific characters when pitted against one another. Some of these interactions also refer to past events, such as Leona mentioning Team Sacred Treasure (Kyo, Iori, Chizuru) sealing Orochi in XIV or Ash recalling how he stole the Yata mirror from Chizuru in KOF 2003. Therefore, both team endings and unique interactions would meet the required canon standard.
Supplementary Materials
SNK has been kind enough to post every piece of lore on their official website, which will serve as the primary source of all evidence aside from the main games themselves. Since this information was all provided by SNK themselves, it obviously would be canon.- KOF XIV Official Website: Character Index and Team Stories
- KOF XV Official Website: Character Index and Team Stories
- KOF 30th Anniversary Official Website: Series History, Game Story, Character Index
The Feats
Now that we have covered powerscaling canonicity, let's move on to the main topic. First and foremost, a brief lore of KOF for you to get a better picture.Still, he couldn't stand his master's dull instructions. She spoke passionately of a universe of possibilities that branched off at infinite junctions, a "crucible of souls" traversing the universes to maintain equilibrium, the "Mother Goddess" governing destruction and creation—but it was all old wives' tales to the boy.
...
"The crucible of souls connects all universes, converging all possibilities in the multiverse. However, these can only be perceived as illusions, and only a limited few are capable of meddling with them. Those with such abilities are known as 'Amplified Specters'. Neither the crucible of souls nor these illusions appear naturally on this side. But if there are distortions in space-time or resonance with Amplified Specters...such circumstances may entice them to manifest on this plane."
―Team Ash's Story
...
"The crucible of souls connects all universes, converging all possibilities in the multiverse. However, these can only be perceived as illusions, and only a limited few are capable of meddling with them. Those with such abilities are known as 'Amplified Specters'. Neither the crucible of souls nor these illusions appear naturally on this side. But if there are distortions in space-time or resonance with Amplified Specters...such circumstances may entice them to manifest on this plane."
―Team Ash's Story
The Dimensional Beast, her master once said, defies human comprehension―and has apparently watched Earth, from a neighboring world, since the birth of the universe.
Though we are unable to observe the being directly, humanity's inquisitive spirit and stubborn nature have kept alive its legend.
An otherworldly cataclysm. An abnormality unfettered by the laws and fundamental truths that govern our world. Such a thing inevitably piqued the curiosity of humans, and some found themselves edging ever closer (albeit via unearthly powers) to the tiniest sample of its might―if not its true form. It was they who then shared their knowledge to prevent disaster striking future generations.
One day beyond all sense and reason, the Beast will appear in our world. But when that time comes, the guardian of justice Najd will―by way of her mystical abaya powers―hunt the creature down and vanquish it. After all, such is her duty in life.
Still, truth be told, others have passed down the legend of the Beast throughout its expansive history.
Deep in the deserts of Africa, there lived a certain tribe... One particularly adept at predicting the Dimensional Beast's arrival in this world. One that worships the creature as a god of death and rebirth.
And so it is that Najd sets off into the wilds of the African continent, following the last known traces of a tribe who passed down not blood, but knowledge.
―Najd's Story
Though we are unable to observe the being directly, humanity's inquisitive spirit and stubborn nature have kept alive its legend.
An otherworldly cataclysm. An abnormality unfettered by the laws and fundamental truths that govern our world. Such a thing inevitably piqued the curiosity of humans, and some found themselves edging ever closer (albeit via unearthly powers) to the tiniest sample of its might―if not its true form. It was they who then shared their knowledge to prevent disaster striking future generations.
One day beyond all sense and reason, the Beast will appear in our world. But when that time comes, the guardian of justice Najd will―by way of her mystical abaya powers―hunt the creature down and vanquish it. After all, such is her duty in life.
Still, truth be told, others have passed down the legend of the Beast throughout its expansive history.
Deep in the deserts of Africa, there lived a certain tribe... One particularly adept at predicting the Dimensional Beast's arrival in this world. One that worships the creature as a god of death and rebirth.
And so it is that Najd sets off into the wilds of the African continent, following the last known traces of a tribe who passed down not blood, but knowledge.
―Najd's Story
In the KOF multiverse, there exists a being known as Re Verse, who is described as a "crucible of souls" that travels between universes, connects all worlds, and converges all possibilities in order to maintain equilibrium. Its goal is to appear at the end of the world and collect the souls across the past, present, and future for a greater god. The powerful emotions in souls allow it to create a portal for its master to enter our world.
That god is known as the "Mother Goddess," the "Dimensional Beast," or Otoma=Raga, who governs destruction and creation. She has lived in a neighboring world to ours since the birth of the universe. Once her herald has gathered enough souls, she will appear in our world to destroy it before ushering in the age of restoration. Further supported by Verse/Re Verse claiming that everything will be destroyed.
In these instances, the term "worlds" has been used in conjunction with concepts such as universe and multiverse. The universe is said to have infinite possibilities, and worlds diverge based on different choices. Therefore, it is reasonable to claim that the term "worlds" here refers to the entire 4-D spacetime continuum. Otoma=Raga would warrant a Low 2-C rating via destroying the entire world.
The Scaling
With the context of the feat established, we will now discuss who will scale it. Firstly, the team that directly confronts Otoma=Raga.Team Hero (Shun'ei, Meitenkun, Benimaru) and Team Rivals (Isla, Dolores, Heidern) are two canonical teams that face off against Re Verse and Otoma=Raga due to Shun'ei and Isla's Amplified Specter power resonating with Re Verse, causing the entity to materialize. Dolores stated that the only way to defeat Otoma=Raga is to seal her away via co-annihilation with an Amplified Specter, implying that no other characters can defeat Otoma=Raga without such power. Additionally, it was the Amplified Specter power that returned the fighters to the real world, which would have been impossible normally.
However, there are two other teams that have unique cutscenes against Re Verse, being Team Sacred Treasure (Kyo, Iori, Chizuru) and Team Ash (Kukri, Ash, Elisabeth). Although there were no similar cutscenes against Otoma=Raga, we can assume that the goddess still appeared after defeating Re Verse. Given how unique cutscenes and interactions are handled in the game, as explained above, we could consider these two teams encounters as alternative canon.
For the sake of simplicity, each member of all the teams mentioned above has unique interactions with other teams in the tournament, which I will not go into detail about because there are so many! For the time being, I believe it is reasonable to assume that all characters are relative to one another, and the specifics of who is stronger or weaker can be discussed later.
So yeah, Low 2-C free-for-all.
Keys
This is saved for last because it will be easier to manage after going through the feats and scaling. For years, SNK has divided their games into various sagas, excluding dream match-type entries and spin-offs.- Orochi Saga (KOF '94, '95, '96, '97)
- NEST Saga (KOF 99', 2000, 2001)
- Ash Saga (KOF 2003, XI, XIII)
- New Age Saga (XIV, XV)
However, for the time being, I would recommend splitting into only two keys: "Orochi Saga to Ash Saga (KOF '94 to KOF XIII)" and "New Age Saga (KOF XIV to KOF XV)". The reason is that I have yet to delve deeply into KOF games aside from XIV and XV to be knowledgeable enough about the power gap between each saga. Regardless of previous sagas' power levels, I believe that Low 2-C is a significant tier jump enough to warrant a different key rather than composite the character's peak power.
Conclusion
To summarize what needs to be done in this thread:- Team endings, as well as unique cutscenes and interactions, can be considered canon and used for power scaling. Same goes for supplementary materials on SNK official sites.
- Everyone will have their keys split into two: "Orochi Saga to Ash Saga (KOF '94 to KOF XIII)" and "New Age Saga (KOF XIV to KOF XV)".
- The New Age Saga key will receive the Low 2-C rating, while the other key will maintain its current rating.
