Deep Dive: Why Is Mexico So Good At King of Fighters?

[@BrooklynVideoGames]

We still stream KOF 2002 on Thursdays. And monthly KOF 15 monthly tournaments. Thank you for showing once of our tournament 🏟️

[@TheD3vilHimself]

The Meme in Mexico was, moms sent kids to the store to pick up groceries or tortillas, and they'd arrive an hour late because they'd spend whatever was left from the money in playing KoF.

[@sixpip]

"Y REGRESAS CON EL CAMBIO CABRON!!" my mom every time she sent me for tortillas.

[@capgame5967]

Yes, sometimes very smart kids ask for less than 1 Kg of tortillas to keep playing more time with the extra money

[@jhonny882]

Meme?? Is a fact

[@doafan455]

@@jhonny882 totally agree, the real problem was when you returned home without the tortillas cause you forgot them at the arcades, that chancla still hurts at this day 😂

[@joseangeltlahuel1653]

Luego te pegaba con la chancla si no traías las tortillas o el cambio

[@Zedetnik]

You should dedicate this video to all the mexican moms who were veeery pissed off because it took you an hour to bring the cold tortillas and incomplete change from the tortilleria with a brand new KOF arcade.

[@twoapple1090]

XD

[@brunovazquez1]

Bro, like we all had the exact scenario 😂

[@rickvarz]

A huevo

[@Tejasmade1315]

Facts

[@bradian1]

And PUTO if you use Rugal

[@nekomexbeltran8557]

When my girlfriend saw my Xbox she asked me if i had KoF, she doesn’t play many videogames but she told me how her mother used to send her to the store to buy things so she used some of the spare coins to play King of Fighters and she became a fan. Indeed this was the case for a lot of people in Mexico.

[@le_fauxinternational1632]

AND then you said no and.... Well.... 😢

[@nekomexbeltran8557]

@@le_fauxinternational1632 I downloaded it, we played and she won most of the fights 🙂

[@sugoi9680]

best girl lol

[@TheRedCap30]

Who does she main lol

[@JuanRodriguez-fg4ji]

@@nekomexbeltran8557I can sit here and say your girl was telling the truth 😂 that was childhood in the 90s

[@DanielBellman]

i'm Mexican and we love KOF. You forgot one little, but very important detail. Every kid in Mexico has to go to the tortillería to buy tortillas. Let's say you have to buy 1 kilogram (around 22 MXN at this moment), but instead of paying 22 pesos, you ask for only 20 pesos of tortillas (like 900 grams) and so, you end up with extra pesos to play KOF or any other arcade. Many tortillerías had arcade cabs. because they knew it was a very lucrative business.

[@white-eyed]

that's so interesting

[@ISREHL]

Exactly

[@rougestarlight4308]

Ay, a mi ya no me tocaron las maquinitas 😢 fueron muy suertudos, se oye genial

[@edgarsoto1517]

​@@rougestarlight4308 en algunos lados aún están ,creo que depende de tu colonia donde vivas

[@YoungMoney_1788]

What I love about growing up in Mexico is that we still love our arcade games 👾 now that I live in the United States I realize it’s a dying cultural pastime nowadays. Edit: thank you so much everyone I’ll be heading to the arcades today and get my game on 💯🔥✌🏽

[@ferociousfuture2110]

I was born and raised in Mexico, when I was younger I literally had a "maquinita" or an arcade machine with all the old fighting games 20 steps away from my house. Now I'm 19 and I still play current and old fighting games alike. around here the FGC is really something magical sometimes.

[@SUPERSMASHJONY]

BTW they still exist!! But Im more of a Metal Slug player.

[@kidvex5741]

Why isn't this pinned????

[@NYCHeavyHitz212]

Nice, the Dominicans - or anybody who speaks Spanish - in NYC call it “maquinita” too.

[@eratikkmenace]

That's so dope brotha. I was lucky enough to have a really nice arcade with good players to learn from when I was a kid. Wouldn't have my friends without fighting games.

[@darwynn17]

Born in Guadalajara, moved to California when I was 5 and had the same experience. Playing KOF and all the other SNK classics at the laundromat is a huge nostalgic memory for me.

[@meowmeow-u4x]

Japan’s impact on Mexican culture is insane. I was actually surprised to find out it wasn’t the same in the US 🇯🇵🇲🇽

[@BknMoonStudios]

Many television broadcast and game publishing company executives in the USA had a strong anti-foreigner/pro-nationalist mindset back in the 80s and 90s. Many of them would acquire the licenses for foreign IPs and make their own "American version" of them. (For Example: Super Sentai → Power Rangers; Street Fighter → Street Fighter The Animated Series).

[@shaneg9081]

Japanese culture is pretty well felt in the US. I dunno about Mexico, but I would say that what they've influenced is different. Like comics and cartoons have overtime taken on more anime/manga traits to the point that we just outright makes shows that are indistinguishable without a deeper knowledge.

[@meowmeow-u4x]

@@shaneg9081 I agree, it seems to be more about inspiration in the states. It’s nice to see how popular everything Japanese has gotten in the last few years though

[@SeriouslySirius1066]

It also goes the other way as well, I was actually surprised when I found out about Cholos in Japan.

[@sidearmsalpha]

@@SeriouslySirius1066 Yeah, the existence of that subculture over there is quite surprising. Still, you can see the influence of Latin America a lot in anime and manga. It's great to see that Japan is open to incorporating things from outside their country.

[@solidsadd]

Met a guy at my old job that was from Mexico and did not speak english very often or fluently. I was making the “come on” gesture that Geese does to Terry to another coworker, shouting it. This fella walks up to me, crosses his arms across his chest then points at me: Die Yabo! I was very confused and entertained but it lead to a good friendship. He would tell me stories about going to arcades in his youth and how big KOF was. Edit: this is my highest liked comment thanks y’all

[@Guchii]

sweeet

[@goofygoober4205]

I’m imagining that interaction and that is some great bonding

[@porkhill6665]

​@@goofygoober4205coolest icon bro 😂

[@le_fauxinternational1632]

And then, let me guess... And now you've been invited to his family's quinceañeras, baptisms, first communions, weddings, you're one of the godfathers, etc...

[@metaphobic]

I come from Equatorial Guinea, a small African country on the west coast, and also the only Spanish speaking country in Africa. During the period of time where Mexico was getting neo geo cabinets imported, a few of them ended up in my country due to a "mix-up". There's like 5 of them in the entire country, but they're the reason i grew up play kof as well.

[@TUZOIVAN16]

Did you ever played with Kensou? He had a funny line about "enchiladas", hahaha.

[@dannyjimenez-zq1le]

Another miscellaneous chunk of info that only I appreciate

[@RodrigoMera]

That's awesome

[@silashenriquedasilva630]

Share your story. Seems really interesting.

[@metaphobic]

@@TUZOIVAN16 Haha! I remember that line, but I mostly played Shermie , Mai and Daimon.

[@8hachimoon]

Seeing a country's love for a specific fighting game always make my heart warm. In Italy we are literally obssesed over Budokai Tenkaichi 3, we also got an European #1 that even was world champion, Paige. Un abbraccio ai miei fratelli messicani

[@Clooudkid]

Get your girlfriend pregnant and come play kof someday :)

[@miguelruiz4613]

There's a 4th one in development now

[@pablocasas5906]

Budokai Tenkaichi 3 was very popular in Latin America as well, there's plenty of weird mods for the game, like adding characters from GTA San Andreas

[@3serio]

Went to Mexico for my bday in ‘12. Flew to Acapulco and stayed couple days, then took a bus to Mexico City. Went to the bus station and the bus was late, needed to be cleaned and to switch drivers. To kill time, I went to the arcade inside to play kof’02 arcade mode (Terry/Ralf/Yamazaki). After a while they made an announcement that the bus was cleaned and they would make another announcement when the driver arrives. Shortly after, this guy sits down and motions, asking if he could play with me (i barely speak English and he exclusively spoke Spanish.) for the next hour and forty-five, he beat the shit out of me. I know he played Seth, he was so good that i never saw his other characters. I tried to get up and go sit with my friends, and he just keep giving me quarters. Then after a while, they sent someone over to tell him that he’s replacing the guy that was supposed to be my bus’s driver, so he drove us to Mexico City and told my friends about his streak. I’ve been salty since.

[@qmanchu]

This might be my favorite story in the comments so far lmao

[@3serio]

@@qmanchu it’s a memory I’ll have forever. Dude was unrelenting, countering everything, kicking my fireballs, Seth can do the akuma teleport…I had no answers. I’ve heard that Mexico was the best at KOF but it didn’t sink in fr til some bus driver named Guillermo, that looks like a Mexican version of the guy who played Mario in the original super Mario bros movie just with all his hair, took almost 2hrs out of his day to destroy me with (what i hope was) his best character. Then with him talking to my friends, they decided they needed to confirm with me in English! “Did he perfect 2 of your characters?”, “did he counter you 4x’s in a row?”, etc. I was fuming.i want to go back and face him again just thinking about it.

[@yungaquafresh2183]

Mexico hasn’t taken over the world because it doesn’t want to

[@BuenDude]

Bro served you till the last minute

[@3serio]

@@BuenDude i swear. I was mad the whole trip. Couldn’t even enjoy the first day in Mexico City till late. He lil bro’d me🤣

[@kazmaBlends]

One really sad thing is that even our top tournament players from Mexico might not be the top players in the country...there's a lot of people who never get a chance to go to tournament and that are well within tournament skill level

[@qmanchu]

I keep hearing that in the comments and at first I thought it was just people exaggerating. But now enough have said it that I've really got to wonder

[@gearkiler]

​@@qmanchu it is a reality, most of them don't have access to those tournaments because of money to pay transportation, or in the case of EVO, not everyone gets a chance to get a Visa. I've know people from the smash community that could beat top players if they get a chance to play.

[@elcuy3544]

There's also the issue of some players being old by now, and being past a prime that could've easily made them tournament famous.

[@PinchiExivion]

Exactly, I saw some unbelievable shit in the Mexican arcades in the 90s. People would do the craziest things with the greatest of ease. You have to wonder what many of them would've accomplished if ever given the chance, but obviously the vast majority didn't even know fighting game tournaments were a thing nor was there any infrastructure to support it

[@dangangalaxy9759]

That’s a really sad but kind of hopeful detail. I would love to see a traveling circuit with a low barrier to entry intent on finding players like that who maybe don’t have the means to compete otherwise and give them a chance to show their stuff. That’s probably unrealistic, but as fighting games grow, maybe someday they’ll be able to find their way to a grand stage too.

[@elestranguladordesoplones996]

La verdad y sin exagerar, es que KOF se ha convertido en parte de la cultura pop en México.

[@sprhz]

yo casi nunca jugue al KoF, pero si me quedaba viendo como jugaban los demas porque me parecia entretenido la competencia

[@nientiendo1986]

Yo no lo jugué cuando niña, pero si mis papás y mis tíos. Ahora se volvió mi obsesión siguiendo la tradición como buena mexicana jaja

[@ozzcoremidmx8287]

Something important to add on is the cultural aspect of us Mexicans (and Latin Americans in general) which is we tend to be together as a community. Which basically means that it didn't matter if you were able to get a console (Nintendo, SEGA SONY, Microsoft) you always ended up in the maquinitas (arcades) just to socialize and meet up the other kids on the neighborhood, Friday noons were almost religious in terms of how populated the cabinets were. It didn't matter if you were not acquainted with someone or you were on a discussion, your talent at KOF would speak for your stances. It was something special that you don't see it nowadays because of the online matches

[@qmanchu]

I wanted to touch on this point but wasn't sure how to approach it in video essay format yknow? Thanks for sharing!

[@HiddenGemz2006]

that can be said with any community

[@filmingstuff7085]

I can relate to this because i went to school in mexico and we always used to gather after school.

[@rougestarlight4308]

Ay, a mi ya no me tocaron las maquinitas 😢 chale

[@Sadako2602]

@@rougestarlight4308 Todavía existen las maquinitas, nomás no vas a los lugares correctos. En mi ciudad las tiendas ya casi no las tienen, pero en algunos centros comerciales si hay, y algunas pueden emular juegos de Wii.

[@rulogutierrez2114]

Aqui en mexico hasta consigues "respeto" entre los amigos y gente de la zona cuando eres bueno en el kof, es parte de nuestra cultura

[@manuelSR1500]

y lo pierdes cuando juegas con rugal xd

[@Lelouch_vi_Britannia.]

​@@manuelSR1500 Gay el que agarre a Rugal, reglas de hombres no escritas

[@HideriKanzaki925]

En efecto, y cuando 2 de los pesos pesados respetados concordaban en el mismo sitio y gabinete, era el evento por el que se reúnen todos los del barrio y alrededores para ver el choque xp

[@rkbelmont1138]

Una tiendita con maquinita de KOF cerca de la escuela pa que se armen ahí las retas.

[@mrterry1756]

O si te pasabas el metal slug con 2 varos. Era el equivalente a hacerse la no-hit del dark souls

[@Zeagods-CyberShadow]

Ive never about KOF until Geese was put in Tekken 7 and then kept hearing and seeing how huge KOF was in Brazil and Mexico. I love seeing Latin America being so dominant in KOF and Smash

[@josewolf9884]

that same reaction happened when terry was announced on smash. While Mexicans and Latin americans had something like a national celebration the rest of the world aside from japan was wondering who the hell was that guy and why did he deserve that spot on the game

[@pablocasas5906]

@@josewolf9884 SNK games were also popular in other international markets. In South Korea SNK have a cult status, it helps that many of their fighting games feature Korean characters like Kim and his sons, Choi and Chang. In China KoF '97 is very popular in tournaments, so much that they have their own rules and there was even an incident that led to a actual fistfight, there's also a Chinese soda brand that features KoF characters in the cans and a Chinese company financed a CGI KoF/Fatal Fury series. The Middle East is also a region in which arcade fighting games are popular, and a Saudi company is the current owner of SNK

[@ericbucio2599]

I’m American but my parents came from Mexico. As a kid I used to go to Mexico twice a year. I would go to corner stores constantly to play KoF. And I realized there were legit players everywhere. I had a theory that basically the corner stores couldn’t afford to buy new machines so the kids would keep playing the same ones for years. This video expanded on my thought perfectly.

[@donttrickimtricky.8567]

Na the kids that got good. Could play all day for one peso. Because they would beat everyone out of their money. And you would never be able to practice alone. Because that kid was always there.

[@donttrickimtricky.8567]

Also visited twice a year and got my ass beat Everytime. Wasn't even fun tbh. Lol

[@vikvc]

Hahhaha you root for America😂 ? naaah. Pumas is better.

[@LaYamiUwU]

@@vikvc He said that he's a gringo, no que le va al America menso kajskajskjd (Edit. Bueno, más que gringo, que sus papás son de México pero que siempre ha vivido allá jsjsj)

[@vikvc]

@@LaYamiUwU no son of Mexicans should acknowledge the US as America. Shame on him haha

[@josebautista1723]

My dad told me he loves fighting games he's from Mexico and could someone tell me some of the older fighting games so I can get some for him.

[@orlanzo2621]

KOF '98/KOF 98 UM Street Fighter Alpha 2 Samurai Shodown 2 Real Bout Fatal Fury 2 Street Fighter 3: Third Strike KOF 2002/ 2002 UM Garou: Mark of The Wolves Fatal Fury Special Darkstalkers 3 KOF XIII Last Blade 2 Just to name a few great ones. There are tons of really good fighting games out there.

[@latinstuff1]

just KOF lol he will love you, I am from Mexico btw

[@walterockmx]

Mortal Kombat, and Mortal Kombat II where also some of the revolution of the fighting games too. Special mention to Marvel Super Heroes (fight game) and Marvel vs Street Fighter

[@Christian_Sandoval]

World Heroes 1 and 2 also Any Samurai Shodown Darkstalkers 3 Killer Instinct 1 and 2 Source: Soy un mexicano de 40 años.

[@miragesnworlds]

the neogeo mvsx may be your best option

[@King_Kiwi1998]

My dad was obsessed with street fighter and streets of rage growing up. He’s from Mexico and he would tell me how he flunked out of HS bc he was addicted to spending $ and playing those game in front of a store. Love that man.

[@RhythmicCone47]

KoF holds a very special place in my heart, as I literally was the result of both my mom & dad meeting via that series, instead of growing up with playing dolls, etc with other girls I grew up with my dad, mom and uncle teaching me the ropes on KoF 2003, hell I even met my boyfriend due to that game. If I would add something else is that on all of Latin America there's a lot of talent, maybe the best of the world are her for all I know as I saw some guy reach a 99 combo with Terry once, and if EVO were to be hosted on any place other than the US, that talent would be able to win the KoF tournament.

[@Alure_san]

I am really like to know more about stories like that. The value of these games does not only come from the game itself but from outside as well. So many histories and relationships were formed around the warmth of an old monitor and the rhythm of clashing buttons. As for me, I have friendships that are almost 20 years old from those days.

[@HMNNO]

Everyone from all around the world travel and compete. Japanese players from half way around the world travel to play SF. The issue is that KoF competitive scene isn't as well funded compare to Tekken and sf and only really popular in China and SA

[@SpectralSound.]

​@@HMNNOand this is so sad man.imo snk fighting games belong among the titans like capcom,namco or nrs studios.

[@e7thstar]

​@@HMNNO im sorry you are ignorant on the traveling situation for most Mexicans. Fact is THEY CAN'T LEAVE THE COUNTRY.....besides the cost it involves. Most Mexicans literally make about $10-$20 a work day. Then you have countries that LITERALLY don't allow Mexican travelers regardless of their "mexican" passport. ....so pretty much, shut up NOOB

[@alexanderredhorse1297]

goofy

[@garabartero]

KOF is a national sport here in Mexico. If you see an arcade machine usually is one with an emulator with tons of choices... still most likely someone is playing KOF on them.

[@LostSoulSilver]

Mexico loves Dragon Ball and King of Fighters for the same reason: a shared common interest in the same time frame, and now it's stronger thanks to nostalgia of those who grew up and look back fondly on it

[@adanravelo4768]

👌🙏👌😁😎

[@SpartanChief2277]

and saint seiya

[@bmycy9132]

el juego de dragon ball en las maquinitas tambien era muy bueno

[@FerGL]

Los mexicanos crecimos con street fighter y despues con king of fighters, en cada esquina en Mexico en los 90 habia arcades para jugar algun KOF, por eso ya es algo que traemos en la sangre cualquiera nacido en los 80 debe saber jugar KOF sin duda

[@jacobolopez7007]

Igual nacido en los 90 tambien

[@elestranguladordesoplones996]

Hasta la fecha diría yo, a la vuelta de mi casa hay un ciber donde tienen como unas 4 o 5 maquinitas y ahí se arman las retas de KOF, muchos de los que van no tienen ni 15 años

[@zilviosilvio]

@@elestranguladordesoplones996 donde vives? Eso ya no se ve en cualquier lado!

[@Quottidomin13]

​@@zilviosilvio aun hay pero ya no como antes, antes tenian de cada kof y las de donde soy traen solo kof 2000-2002 jaja

[@mikearisbrocken8507]

Yo no, mas que nada por que creci con Tekken, pero todos mis amigos saben bastante en KOF.

[@omniscience9631]

Siempre crei que yo era malo jugando KOF, y en realidad lo que sucedia era que estaba jugando contra los mejores del planeta sin saberlo...

[@qmanchu]

es lo que es

[@matthewegan5281]

Si, iestabas en 10x gravedad esencialmente!

[@spookyryu]

De hecho si cuando juegas online contra otras regiones si les ganas jaja

[@eduardoxlg1807]

de hecho juegas en online contra gente de otro pais y le das una paliza

[@Hodsonhawk]

Fui a Estados Unidos y en una Animexpo había una maquina del KoF 12, que sinceramente, nunca había jugado esa versión. Saqué a todos los que estaban antes de mi hasta que una maldita niñita de como 12 años que parecía sacada de un comercial de Pilsbury casi me saca a mi. Buenos tiempos.

[@the805paradox]

Great video. When I was a kid in Mexico Neo Geo machines were everywhere when I moved to the states in 1999 the local laundromat had all the kofs and both Chicano n Mexican immigrants stayed playing kof98 every weekend when doing they laundry. Mexico on top 🇲🇽

[@qmanchu]

These stories are so cool. It's been awesome to learn about this part of the culture

[@MrBranh0913]

Unfortunately there are a lot of hacked versions of games at Mexican laundromats

[@geeguy7429]

I'm mexican american as well and finding a love for fighting games became way more fun learning about it being ingrained into our culture. Especially unintentionally as i grew up with a family whose son had a neo Geo arcade compilation for the PS2 and we played the hell out of KOF. Really excited for that 13 port

[@Clos93]

​@@MrBranh0913 that's part of the charm! Loved playing SF2: Rainbow Edition! 😂

[@mutedknght]

It wasn't so long ago Pakistan being a tekken powerhouse was relatively unknown, and its east to forget that. They face a lot of the same travel issues Mexico does and its thanks in part to the international scene being so willing to bring them in they were able to explode in strength and notoriety. Hopefully with time and a change in perception South America can get the support it deserves. KoF and Smash players from those regions go crazy and I would love to see more of them and their fighting style.

[@javoclean960]

Trust me, they going CRAZY in Smash

[@MrOnepiecem7]

*Latin America

[@rkano1744]

Mexico is North America, and there is also Central America before South America. Geography and not just videogames, my guy. This is why it is generally called Latin America.

[@SirSayakaMikiThe3rd]

​@JAVIER MORENO lol, whenever I go to the local Mexican barber, they always have smash on the TV, playing between clients. Only fellow Latinos have given me a run for my money in smash.

[@lmao2302]

@@SirSayakaMikiThe3rd Like smash tournaments and shit?????

[@DailyGamers15]

I’m from Guatemala and when I was a kid we had this kid in our neighborhood who was well respected for being one of the best players I moved out of Guatemala in 2010 so I’m not sure if his still undefeated but when I lived there he would bodied people KOF each day he would spent hours challenging other kids from other neighborhoods he was definitely a beast in fact he started making a living out of it if you wanted to challenge him there was an entry fee and most kids went for it.

[@ferchsakura]

I was so surprised knowing King of Fighters wasn’t as popular when I went to the US. I grew up with this game in Mexico, people in arcades would always be playing this game and it was super fun. It was about less than 2 cents to play once. When I saw KOF was on steam I bought it so fast.

[@FromTheRoomOfLittleEase]

Well. I'm American and it was always popular with me. Of course the biggest bands in the world to me are The Germs, Black Flag, and Poison Idea and that's probably not universal here either. Heh. You can't judge America by the masses; they actually don't count here either. We (the autistic minority) make everything and try to figure out what they, the mouth breather majority, will actually bite on. Which isn't much because they have shit taste. Please, Judge America by it's leaders not it's followers. And by that I certainly do not mean our politicians, either. Heh. Nor the fake geeks and fake weirdos that you will see first because they advertise themselves. They are just fucking phonies pretending to be what they know is the real mothetfuckers. The real talented charismatic interesting people are everywhere hiding in plain sight and there's even more hidden away and not usually seen. That's my America. King of Fighters to me, is the only series as good as Street Fighter 2. Those and the SNK and Capcom and Marvel verses games. Best fighting games. I want to like Mortal Kombat but it's kinda wonky. I try to get into it about once every two years. It never takes.

[@shaneg9081]

Yeah, I wish more people in the US cared about the series. It deserves it. I'm glad it found a passionate audience somewhere.

[@jessexmartinez1332]

There were only 2 ways to be the popular kid in your barrio growing up in Monterrey, MX in the late 90's/early 00's. Either you owned a balón (soccer ball) or you were a freaking god at KOF99 or KOF02. Our mothers would send us to the corner store at midday after school to buy coke-cola and a kilo of tortillas and we would spend the rest of the money on the maquinita located in that very store to play KOF, Metal Slug and Marvel vs Capcom. We would take so long to return home that our mothers would come get us with a chancla in their hands 😂.

[@yessr7535]

Facts!

[@shaneg9081]

Why 99 and 02 specifically? I know our relationship in the US is different than yours, but here I would expect people to say 98 or 02.

[@benja99full]

@@shaneg9081 98 and 2002 are the best, but many ignore that, kof 99 is the one with the best art, which can be more striking when you start to learn and you don't know about mechanics and gameplay.

[@timhiley1858]

😂 funny but freaking awesome 👍🏾

[@timhiley1858]

😂 funny but freaking awesome 👍🏾

[@MrRabadan23]

I went to my dad’s tiny home village in the mountains of central Mexico back in 00 and all the kids were just hanging out at the corner store with their coins in hand waiting to play. It made me fall in love with fighting games and fighting game culture

[@moonflakes22]

I remember we literally used to make fun of each other if anyone picked Rugal or the alternative characters because they were OP. It was a fact that almost any kid was able to put in a single coin and be able to finish the entire game, but we were honestly just waiting for someone else to just put in another coin and challenge us.

[@hilken]

Yeah, I remember that too, hell, the first time I tried the game I choose Rugal (because EVERYONE knew back then that it was really strong, even if they didn't play at all) as my last one, over ten dudes where mocking me until I said "It's the first time ever I play" and then instantly everyone was okay with it, and when I lost all of them told me tips and suggestions of characters to try. Good old times.

[@dodgsonwevegotdodgsonhere9970]

"Used to"?

[@2Xboti]

I'm from Monterrey Mexico, I grew up in the best era of KOF, from 97 to 2002 and it was just amazing, in a lot of local stores there were KOF machines with a lot of kids, teens and adults playing the game.

[@qmanchu]

I'll be in Monterrey in November! I'll have to find some of these places that still have machines and get my ass whooped

[@ApolloJuscatsy]

​@@qmanchuVe al Centro cerca de padre mier, hay un sitio de maquinitas 👍

[@AndresGomez-rx6cj]

Here in monterrey we got a bit luckier with the arcades since we are closer to USA and they are practically everywhere lmao

[@AndresGomez-rx6cj]

@@ApolloJuscatsy hablas del bar la horda vdd? esta muy bueno ahi, he ido una vez y fue divertido

[@ApolloJuscatsy]

@@AndresGomez-rx6cj no. De akibarah

[@369lalala]

The way Angel was added to the franchise was awesome. SNK and the Mexican game developer Evoga had a bet on a KOF '98 match. Ángel Torres, the director of Evoga won, so his company had a chance to create their own girl character for The King of Fighters.

[@VLikaru]

Man, you should of talked about how Angel was created for KOF. Her story is very interesting and there is articles and interviews talking about it. It was basically Mexican game developers vs SNK, in a competition held in Japan where the winner would implement a character into the loser's game. The game played was KOF 98 and SNK lost, twice (the second one being for the character bet).

[@tps7504]

The best story of how a character was created. Viva Ángel Torres por darnos de manera no directa esta gran waifu!!!

[@Archedgar]

Nice. Esa no me la sabia.

[@Sutchii_]

Ni idea que bueno

[@rosfell00]

If I'm not mistaken, those were the same developers who made Rage of the Dragons, right?

[@AlexRN]

This is correct. Also the winner got to name Ángel I think? And also made it so one of her hobbies or likes was playing fútbol (soccer). I believe she played as a goalkeeper?

[@faraboveothers]

I lived my childhood in Mexico. During the late 90s and very early 2000s you’d walk down the street and you’d find a “maquinita” on every block with tons of kids and teenagers playing KOF.

[@mozzarellamaniac6300]

Same here in the Philippines. There are always kids playing at every arcade cabinets after school. My favorite is KOF 2002 and Metal Slug 3

[@ComPTonRiLLO]

And then the neighborhood kid would run out and yell at everyone that Dragon Ball Z was starting and everyone would run inside to watch the new episodes 🤣

[@kidfresh92]

I used to spend my summers in Mexico as a kid and all i would do is go to the local corner store or arcade and play KoF, Metal Slug, and DDR. It took me a few summers to be somewhat decent compared to all my Mexican cousins and buddies. I seen kids play KoF with their eyes closed. This video brought back a bunch of memories, thank you.

[@qmanchu]

Glad you enjoyed, thanks for sharing that story!

[@oswaldocerdan]

Eric moussambaniiiii

[@luiscastro-my3iw]

Same! Tambien naci en 92'! I'd visit Merida in the summer and it had a HUGE maquinitas. Unmatched energy.

[@CrisDripWalker]

bro fax I'd spent hours in those arcades specifically playing marvel vs capcom and would always see the kof arcade packed!

[@ivymetro]

Dude Kof and metal slug that takes me back!!

[@arekutheof555]

Such a great video, but one thing you failed to mention that greatly influenced the Latin Americans toward SNK games was its localization. Most MVS games were localized in english, japanese, spanish and portuguese. Those last two made an impact in South America since players would be able to play those games IN THEIR NATIVE LANGUAGE, which made learning the game a lot easier and also, since most SNK fighters are very story driven, they could get more invested in its lore and canon.

[@qmanchu]

True! I did come across this while researching because of how in touch SNK was with the Spanish speaking world. The fact that they'd have conventions and make official announcements in Mexico is more wild than most realize

[@kuchikimakoto]

@@qmanchu I would argue is the exact opposite. SNK, and specially the KoF is unapologetically Japanese, and mostly left unlocalized. For most games there is not voice acting in any language but Japanese. This puts of Americans, who have an more insular and honestly xenophobic approach to games and culture. But for us in Latin America (I was born in Brazil), for the middle east, Africa... Having a game that is not americanized was fresh air. I remember the first time I saw KoF, how different it was from anything I had seen in my life.

[@harrypedro]

this had a huge impact in mexicans kids who played in arcade. (me included obviously)

[@RodrigoMera]

I don't know if that's true, I remember Mexican arcades having lots of people playing games that were straight up in Japanese or Korean and don't gaf 😂😂😂. Pump it Up was also pretty huge, and I remember many of those first arcades had only Korean characters.

[@AzureFlammeKite]

​@@RodrigoMera Maybe not for all NeoGeo games but "Magical Drop 3" for example has even Spanish voice overs.

[@MFKraven]

I lived in Mexico for 2 years, whenever I'd go to any arcade or cyber cafe, I'd always hear one word over and over. "QUINTO" The Quinto was in reference to a special. I realized how deeply ingrained KoF was when they would refer to ANY special in any fighting game as it.

[@acidstudiosmx]

O know them also as “Quintas”

[@MFKraven]

@@acidstudiosmx se me fue la onda, que casi son 10 años de que me vine patras a los EEUU. Pero si gracias por corregir me son Quintas

[@digletttexano678]

En michoacan tambien Les deciamos quinto

[@AbuguedVG]

@@vermiform it's reffering to the level bar, you have 5 bar metter, and desesperation move is called "hidden" "Quinto" Means something like "fifth"

[@bartolomecostecho9030]

El quinto es el que ponías para jugar.

[@Alanisch85]

Naci en 1985, literalmente enfrente de mi casa había un local de maquinitas, así que jugué el primer Street Fighter todos los días teniendo cinco años (los dueños del local me conocían y mis padres me dejaban ir un rato por la cercanía, otros tiempos). Vi nacer y viví el fenómeno de SFII The World Warrior, yo siendo pequeño seguía jugando el primero y los más grandes me alentaban a que jugara ya el 2, según yo siempre estaban en uso esas máquinas y jugadas por los "grandes" y no tenía oportunidad. Hasta que finalmente lo comencé a jugar y el resto es historia. Siempre fui "gamer", mi primer consola fue un Atari 7800 y sigo jugando con devoción hasta la actualidad. Nunca dejé de jugar juegos de lucha y me siento familiarizado con el que nombres, además de ser bastante competitivo. Hay una relación mística entre el mexicano y los juegos de "pelea", conocí muchos rivales a lo largo del camino, aún jugaba máquinas hasta la prepa, y siempre senti respeto y admiración por algunos de ellos, pero sobre todo, por el fomento de identidad que la cultura de los juegos de lucha nos dejó a todos los que formamos parte de dicha experiencia.

[@bannanateam]

as a Mexican growing up in the northern state of Chihuaua, who also happened to grow up around a ton of "maquinitas" spots, I appreciate this video a lot. KOF is life. I remember back in 2003 playing the 2002 legendary version when some friends and I heard Ramon saying Spanish words we couldn't believe our eyes and ears lol.

[@rudifleck2911]

Re4?

[@bannanateam]

@@rudifleck2911

[@ungeekfurioso4802]

Los gringos que se metieron a KOF en KOF XV se aterran cuando ven a un vato latinoamericano de 30 años con 30 deudas con el COPPEL

[@qmanchu]

🙋🏾‍♂️

[@boxatron8010]

Si amigo

[@ferociousfuture2110]

Un señor debiendo 3 pensiones alimenticias sin perder un solo juego en un torneo entero.

[@nowornever09]

Dios que respuesta es esa 🙄😃

[@elzordack4589]

Jajajajajaja

[@JakShadow]

Iori is definitely the favorite KoF character in Mexico

[@Andrea-zl6px]

Awebo usa el Iori lokoooooo jaja

[@jessisanchez8150]

I was born in the US but my dad is from Chihuahua. Arcades in Mexico had all the Japanese fighting games way before they hit the US. My 1st encounter with KOF and Tekken were in Mexico. Every summer we would travel south and the competition at "mom and pops" owned arcades would get fierce.

[@tavoenriquez5548]

Puedo decir que estoy orgulloso de ser uno de los kof originales desde kof 1994

[@Sadako2602]

KoF 2002 is how I gained the respect of my male students. I'm 22, and I'm a teacher in a secundaria. One day after class I went to a nearby store to get something, and some of my students were playing KoF so I said "Oh, I used to play that as a Kid", they asked me if I knew how to play and I proceded to destroy them, one of them was good but he was no match for my Andy. I even taught them Kim's infinite combo. They told other students and since that day I'm the cool teacher who knows how to play KoF.

[@irasemam3146]

QUE GRANDE, USAS A ANDY GOD

[@PinchiExivion]

A marvelous thing is that here in Mexico, even after the advent of the arcades and the fact that arcade machines aren't nearly as popular as they used to be, you're still likely to come across an arcade machine if you're out and about, indubitably an emulator with lots of games, but the most likely scenario is that it's running some version of KOF and that most probably someone in the immediate vicinity could serve you your ass in it.

[@BknMoonStudios]

Most arcade cabinets these days are just very cheap computers running a Neo Geo emulator with +200 games. It's not a bad thing at all, given that tokens are still ultra cheap (last time I went, it was 5 Mexican pesos/25 American cents per token).

[@yamaha893]

As an ancient who was old enough to have played Street Fighter 1 with the large pressure pads in the arcade, i absolutely love seeing the different global permutations of arcade/fighting game culture

[@divinehatred6021]

Street Fighter 1? Damn. Do you have a grand kids now, old man? 😁

[@samuelleon3525]

Amazing content, as a Mexican gamer this really hit hard. I remember waiting for my mum to leave the tiendita while you would play KoF. Later down the line I got so many pirated copies of KoF on the first PS. It was a huge game during my youth.

[@geckoo9190]

I was a kof player back on the 90s versions and I saw really sick skills in the arcades, but I didn't know that the scene was that big here in Mexico.

[@Alonsuke]

I'm from Monterrey, Mexico, and I've always been a fan of esports, specially fighting games, so many years ago when I knew the biggest Mexican fighting game event/tournament (Thunderstruck) was held in my city I knew I had to go, never could until the year before the pandemic. It was something special to me, seeing so many people, many international players that I have been following for a long time, I got to take pictures with some of my favorite commentators and it was just a great event. I'm looking forward to going this year again, even more since this time apparently it's going to be in the university I studied! We are very passionate, and there are amazing players here, I wish there was more support for the fighting game community here in Mexico instead of games like League of Legends (not hating, I'm a fan too) but we have proved that we do better in fighting games (and specially in Smash) than in other type of games.

[@qmanchu]

I wanna come down to Mexico for Thunderstruck this year but I think I'll be in Mexico woth family literally a week beforehand :/

[@_soulofgold]

I remember this guy in Michoacán, México, who used to beat other players using only one hand just for fun, he was pretty good at KOF arcade. I think that other reason for us to be good at KOF is that most of us barely have money to spend (1 or 2 pesos) so when you have so little chances to use the arcade because of the money, you have to become good in order to play longer 😅

[@qmanchu]

I've heard multiple stories about legendary dudes like this, and most of them are from Michoacan lmao

[@chrxnxmn7624]

The corner store with arcade cabinets made the competition fierce, you wanted every quarter spent to last as long as possible

[@Archedgar]

Oh shit. I heard about exactly that guy. I thought that was a myth. El tipo era super bueno, jugaba con una mano, crudo o hasta pedo y aun asi todo le salia facil.

[@_soulofgold]

@@Archedgar It's canon😂

[@Andrea-zl6px]

​@@qmanchuyo soy de Michoacán y confirmo Soy mujer y juego kof desde los 7 años

[@Fireyhands12]

I was born and raised in Mexico, and I remember very that my elementary school was in front of a park, and said park had like 4 small family-owned stores, and all had "maquinitas", so it was pretty much a routine to go there with my friends after school and use up all of our mom's change

[@I3atosai]

Thank you for mentioning super smash brothers. Not only is the best player from that scene from Mexico. But his peers are also some of the best players In the world. It’s crazy how strong Mexico region is. Wouldn’t even guessed

[@diegoa0812]

I love the theory that the first Smash Bros Ultimate DLC were chosen thanks to the players of each region. Joker - Europe. Hero-Japan. Banjo Kazooie - USA. Terry - México and Latin America.

[@darkstar4450]

I don't know man when I play persona 5 I don't think of Europe

[@o_oro-q1k]

​@@darkstar4450Americans just be making up sht lol

[@pablocasas5906]

It's a nice theory, but I don't think Sakurai and his team chose the characters due to their popularity in different countries - Joker: Sakurai is a huge P5 fan and admitted the look of the Ultimate's menus were inspired by P5 - Hero: no doubt Sakurai was part of the generation that witnessed the rise of DQ, but to be honest, Nintendo has tried to make DQ popular in the West more than Enix has done in their entire life. Including Hero was a great way to honor the DQ series and to give some publicity to DQXIS - Banjo-Kazooie: well, they do really feel like a choice made for Westerns, but BK was a popular N64 title across the entire world - Terry: Sakurai cited KoF '95 as the inspiration for the first Smash Bros. and he seems to love the rest of the SNK games. Not to mention that KoF it's not just popular in Latin America, in China KoF '97 is one of the most popular fighting games in tournament

[@SpartanChief2277]

banjo kazooie is the microsoft representative

[@diegoa0812]

@@SpartanChief2277 What a way to show that you don't know how to read.

[@ElFreyre_]

I remember my time in middle school back in '09, they were two "maquinitas" literaly in front of the main entrance, and you could see all the students, even teachers gathering to play KOF 2002 at 6:30 am just before classes, it was beautiful, i never get good at the game, but i was there just to see all the different playstyles and get hype just before school Also i'm from Veracruz, and when i heard that Angel was from the same state i was like "this can't be real, how a japanese game could have mexican characters and be from were i born"

[@qmanchu]

The stories about this game and the culture get more and more wild with each comment lol. It sounds so magical

[@skunkface_]

The name Tokido is a reference to the moves he used when he played Iori back in KOF97, his first fighting game. To = Tonde (Jump), Ki = Kick, Do = Doushita

[@qmanchu]

Bro this is so cool. It's like every other comment on this video is teaching me something new. Thank you for sharing! I had NO idea!

[@ReivaxU]

¿Pero que es Doushita wey? no me ames, eso no se entiende!!!

[@qmanchu]

@@ReivaxU es un sonido de Iori! No sé come se dice pero es su "catchphrase"

[@Frigaku]

@@ReivaxU Es lo que dice Iori cuando tira la flama, significa algo como "¿Qué pasa?"

[@jestfullgremblim8002]

​@@qmanchu it means "What's wrong?" He says it in a mocking manner. He says it while doing his Yami Barai (that move that throws a purple flame that moves along the ground)

[@OMartinez91]

This really hit my nostalgia. I was born in Mexico snd grew up there until I was 9, so i got to grow up with "las mawinitas". I lived in a remote town though, and only had like 2 arcades on the whole place, sadly none of them had KoF, so i never got to practice. It's a bit sad that the arcades vanished bu the time i was an adult

[@damiangarcia1997]

I feel like Mexico and the rest of South America would’ve been up there with greats when it comes to esports but not much support is given to them since it’s not talked about as much as other athletic sports( soccer, boxing, mma, etc). Then there’s the huge crime wave that’s been plaguing Mexico for a long time that could also be affecting how people view Mexico

[@geeguy7429]

Everytime someone mentions mexico for tourism you always get the crimes being brought up, While Mexico can be dangerous it'd be very ironic for Americans to point at Mexico for being dangerous. It's not perfect but there's still a lot of beauty and culture to be found

[@GattlingCombo]

@@geeguy7429 Yeah. Not to mention crime in Mexico/latam was initiated by the US. There are people who are at fault of this who are STILL in our government. So it's unfortunate to hear about the difficulties people in Mexico/SA have when trying to compete in the states or get sponsored. It's not those countries fault. I hope they get more support in video games one day. The culture is so awesome.

[@Archedgar]

A long time? the 'crime wave' only started ever since AMLO the socialist came to power. Before that things were pretty relaxed and safe.

[@greco-romano9852]

​@@geeguy7429 I mean, the cartels and their influence at large, and on small-town government scales alike, are arguably miles scarier than any potential shadow operatives our country at large deals with in overall reach relative to country size. There are many accounts of bad-mouthing cartels on social media, then being murdered and made a public warning to anyone else up to try the same thing. The fact that, that is doable, goes to show how much more chaotic and unpredictable the cartel is comparable to almost any organized crime rings spanning the U.S. Shows how much can be gotten away with comparatively.

[@smilefriend7171]

It's an infrastructure issue. Early in the KoF era everyone knows of a local legend that was unbeatable and spent the entire day playing. They never were able to afford to travel to tournaments because Mexico doesn't have the arcade culture countries like Japan or SK have, either lack of money or downright no incentive/organization of such events.

[@thegreatnexus4207]

what I love about when visiting Mexico is that they still have Arcade Cabinets to this VERY DAY and the feeling never gets old it also help you appreciate the games that were out back then, NOW we have emulations and that shit is so mind blowing!

[@pvrp_gxd]

I remember visiting Mexico as a kid really often and my cousins and I would go to a tiendita across the street from my tias house that had a couple máquinitas and we would just start playing KoF together then moments later the other neighborhood kids would show up and start challenging whoever wins until we had a big group of kids just spectating whoever was good enough or had enough pesos to play. Cheering each other on and bantering, Amazing childhood memories! It was definitely something incredible to experience!

[@that1zombi3kid]

Finally someone who's answering the real questions!

[@AbuguedVG]

Not sure if already mentioned on the video or comments already but the origins of Angel it's due to EVOGA, a group of Mexican devs that worked with SNK, and also made their own game with the seal of approve of SNK itself. "Rage of the dragons" The story behind Angel it's simply due a bet, between japanese devs in charge of that years KOF (Eolith) And EVOGA, Devs got destroyed so as a reward they let them do their own character. SNK even had a Mexican subsidiary at some point.

[@lightningfarronxp8899]

While I was born and raised in the United States, I got to experience KOF fever in Mexico at its prime in the early 2000’s. My parents sent me to Mexico on summer break to visit family and get in touch with my roots. My cousins in Mexico would take me to the local arcade and there was a sea of kids there waiting for a turn to play KOF. I met a bunch of cool people, we geeked over the game and I spent all my money playing. I always picked Ralph, Clark and King. Even when I returned back home to the US, the love for KOF came with me and never faded. Today I’m 30 and I still love KOF like the first time I played it and play KOFXV and Fightcade whenever I get a chance. Currently I main Blue Mary and Shermie. Just waiting on Hinako this winter to complete my team as well as cross play so finding matches is easier cause the PC scene is kind of dead right now lol.

[@ZtotheMills]

This is INCREDIBLY interesting, and I find myself asking these kinds of questions all the time. I love learning this kind of thing.

[@qmanchu]

Trust me, there's WAY more where this came from lol. Can't wait to share

[@generalrimanov6146]

Man this surely brings back memories especially of the neo geo's all over the place in the town I grew up in Mexico. The small store had one machine and on the weekends the store transformed into an arena where everyone fought one another for money. I cannot point out how much money or time I poured into TKOF 2002 but it was surely amazing. A couple of years I returned to Mexico and sadly the store was closed but one thing remained a small sign in a light post right next to the store which read "prohibido jugar con Rugal" or Playing with Rugal was Prohibited which brought a smile to my face.

[@MFGhostly]

I remember playing with my aunt grandma to KoF every weekend She sadly passed away... But the moments we had together were incredible.

[@indraotsusukii8039]

Buen video, como mexicano puedo confirmar que lo que dices en el video es 100% correcto. Supongo yo que el carácter deportivo y la naturaleza guerrera de los mexicanos nos hace competir fuertemente (el Himno nacional incluso incita a ello XD); en las disciplinas del Boxeo, Taekwondo y Lucha siempre hay un mexicano entre los primeros puestos (si hablamos de soccer, es otro tema :/) ... anteriormente era tradición ir a las "maquinitas" en donde era común jugar con "la feria de las tortillas" y "echar unas retas" del KOF 2002 (principalmente el Magic Plus II) incluso haciendo torneos dentro de los arcades. Es normal que alguien de 30 años sea una "riata" jugando KOF, pero ya no es tan común ver a alguien en sus 20 o 10 años que sepa jugar bien, quedando como juego de nicho, supongo que por el éxito de FIFA y de los Shooters como COD; sin embargo, me ha tocado ver que se hagan torneos de SSB donde el desempeño sigue siendo destacable. En fin, un saludo y que Viva México Cabrones!!!

[@lenardregencia]

3:09 Team Korea, China, Brazil, and Mexico are literally have their own team in KOF '97.

[@lenardregencia]

My bad that was ‘94.

[@eluard9238]

​@@lenardregencia there wasn't a Team Mexico at all. Only Robert was Mexican in AOF team.

[@santoshernandez9663]

​@@eluard9238 Robert isn't mexican, he is from italy.

[@ReivaxU]

​@@santoshernandez9663 ¡Lost Mejicanos nacemos donde se nos da la re ch1ng4d4 gana!

[@santoshernandez9663]

@@ReivaxU robert nunca ha dicho que sea mexicano, y para eso estan angel, ramón y tizoc

[@luisespinoza7976]

¡Viva México cabrones! 🇲🇽

[@alexb8926]

You know it!!! ❤❤❤

[@macruz8503]

@luises: No guey! No names! Viva Los Estados UNIDOs! Y si so les gusta me la Pelan guey!

[@paolabarr5692]

Así es , soy de México y aqui muchos nos entrenamos a jugar KOF desde niños en las maquinitas de videojuegos que suelen haber en las tiendas cercanas a nuestras casas. Es muy comun que fueras a la tienda por algo y con el cambio de el dinero que te quedaba, jugabas unos rounds. Y posterior se hacian retas. Es muy divertido la verdad, de hecho asi tambien me paso a mi y de hecho KOF es mi juego favorito, no es por nada pero igual me considero muy buena jaja.😅❤ sobretodo en kof 2000 y 2002.

[@GABRIEL03114]

quienes son tus mains? osea tus mejores personajes?

[@paolabarr5692]

@@GABRIEL03114 Kula,Mai y Athena

[@kaiser5731]

i still remember the old guy who teached me how to block in some arcades near my home, i was 6 and it changed my life completely. from there on i loved fighting games it was kof 96 wich is still one of my favorite games. i made my friends learn how to play and enjoy them, nowdays i feel pround when one of them defeats me it makes me proud i guess 😅

[@rockerfukuro]

DBZ and KOF are an essential part of most of the children personality in mexico this bring back a lot of memories, you still can see kids playing arcade machines everywhere

[@rriscolso]

This reminds me. I used to play on a market when I was on high school, here in Mexico, a lot of cabinetes everywhere as always, but when KOF XIII came out, they changed almost all these arcades for new ones and, in the center, the put a new gigan gabinete, with a 42'' or more screen on the side of the street to everyone to see the fights and with a big sound system to everyone to hear it too, It cost 5 pesos per match. They used to had a lot of pleople playing jajaja

[@matheusmota8807]

The same happened in Brazil, and today arcade machines are more common in barber shops than anywhere else

[@natanhaelalvarado6137]

As a Mexican I’ve never been a fan of fighting games, but I love side scrollers like metal slug and contra, and at one point, at the peak of popularity; bot KOF and Metal Slug were found on every damn corner throughout Mexico.

[@alainbet2006]

Soy mexicano, de 36. Pero nunca jugué Kof y de hecho siempre fui malo en los juegos de pelea 😅. Me la pasaba en el arcade con Metal Slug, Snow Bros, Toki y Spin Master.

[@PALMA06]

One of the main reasons I got into Smash Bros. is because I saw mexican players like MkLeo and Sparg0 making waves in the competitive scene. Love to all my KOF friends 😄

[@tyrannosaurus62]

Awesome video. This explains a lot actually. As a American Hispanic who was born and raised in San Bernardino, Ca, after thinking about it. I noticed a lot of Metal Slug and KOF games in almost store that had a somewhat Arcade. Laundry Mats, Theaters, convenient liquor stores etc.

[@SofoSama]

That KOF13 2012 Tournament when Bala was taking nalagas was amazing! I’m from Houston and there were tons of neogeo machines everywhere growing up. I played KOF since the 90s but didn’t start really getting in depth until 2000 and beyond. We had a Mexican dude in his 20s that would let us learn via roms and he’d tell and us about how awesome KOF was.

[@Jekyll_Jackal]

\m/ Houston Texas \m/

[@CheddarGetter]

Another amazing video my dude. Keep it coming. The algorithm will smile upon you soon enough!

[@CGBartz]

I’m Mexican American, the one who put me onto Fighting games and the FGC is my father and that’s the best memories I had with him (before he became an addict in Mexico) but thanks to him I’m too in tuned with the FGC and still try to get into tournaments and practice as if I had a goal. His favorites were Street Fighter and KoF and when I visit Mexico my memories were always playing at the arcade machine my family owned (they owned a store) and boy do they love KoF. The game is already hard but these kids knew what they were doing. Mexican’s love their fighting games!

[@SnarkyMalarkey]

I'm Mexican and KOF 98 was the first game ever i played in an arcade machine, it was in a laundromat, i would play with my older sister while mom did laundry, good times!

[@cheekyphuzz_thegod8558]

Dude this was awesome. I had no idea Mexico was so huge on this series, but had an inkling when I saw certain stages throughout some of the games

[@cesarcortes77]

The few times I been to Mexico, I have always seen these arcade style machines everywhere from stores, bars, homes etc. Since not everyone can afford the games its a great way to make money for the owner and a great way for the kids to have fun and watch each other play.

[@greatrulo]

Mexican here, I found this video super interesting because I never understood why KOF was(and is) so popular here, in my neighborhood there was only a Marvel vs Capcom 1 machine(we were lucky to have a SNES with Art of Fighting at home) or in a specialized arcade where they had only beat em ups and light gun games. Yet I had friends from other neighborhoods that were always raging about this "King o faita" and "Metal Slog" games, weirdly enough it was very common to have one of those machines inside a Tortilla store because kids would go to buy tortillas for their mom and spend the change on arcades, literally every Mexican kid that grew up in the 90s has a core memory of that. Another factor is that most videogame companies did not officially export to mexico until the 00s, so playing anything before that meant they were bought in the US and then imported back here to be sold at inflated prices. So most people's access to videogames was through arcades since they didn't have to buy an expensive console and a cartridge.

[@qmanchu]

I appreciate you sharing this because it's very hard to find genuine inside looks into the culture!

[@greatrulo]

@@qmanchu I appreciate your content also! 🤘 There's a great video by Core-A Gaming about why Pakistan has the best Tekken players and I can't stop thinking that it's the same story with Mexico during the 90s with KOF, your insight into how Neo Geo had interchangeable cartridges was also very interesting. Saludos my friend. 🇲🇽

[@ElModistoDeConsolasRetro]

In Mexico a lot o people have an original xbox with tons of emulators including all KOF titles, from 94 to 2003, but KOF 98 and KOF 2002 are the most played, but I can say without a doubt that Mexico's love for KOF began with KOF 98.

[@soulassassin0g]

I'm a Mexican-American and my favorite game growing up was KoF and SNK fighters, actually anything SNK or Neogeo, and I never knew why. I guess it's just in our blood? What's funny is that I actually had a console at home, with a bunch of games, but I would much rather take a handful of quarters, go to the local laundry mat and play in the arcade machines against other kids. The 90's was truly the golden years of competitive arcade gaming.

[@RERM001]

My very first gaming experience was in 2005 as the store in my neighbourhood had an arcade with KOF2002 and another with Metal Slug 3. Needless to say, it was probably the second most lucrative investment the store owners made, the first one being tortillas.

[@MrTonybroph]

I live in a boarder town in Texas. A ton of my friends are from Mexico and I would go there to spend the night all the time. We would always get super trashed and hit up a local arcade where KoF was basically the only thing played. They were so good, even the little kids would stomp you into the floor.

[@CODHALOvet]

I grew up halftime in Mexico and US being Mexican-American and I too was sent out to the local neighborhood tortillería with 10 pesos for 1 kilo of tortillas only to spend 1 hour playing against randoms in the arcade next door with what I had left. Even though I brought my N64 and GameCube I left it at home since everyone would just play “las maquinitas”. This is where I learned to play and love KoF.

[@FewRxi]

Maquinitas at the tortilleria or la tiendita, made most Mexicans kof players, but sadly fg in Mexican E sports aren't as sponsored as other games like mobas, so, players with 0 to 1 or 2 sponsors just willing to pay your food, makes really hard to attend those events, where all the fees are charged with a currency x20 stronger than the one we make our income.

[@ashtonbyrd3686]

When I first got into playing the kof games, I noticed that it was quite popular in mexico I found that to be pretty surprising and actually quite confusing. Though, learning how it became so popular over in Mexico it’s pretty cool and this coming from a American player.

[@hoodclassicsofcalifornia]

I always love videos like these. Internet questions that you see so much on certain sides of the net and that people know the answers to but no one has made an in-depth video of yet, then once they do they instantly call in the entire community through the algorithm.

[@manuelovsky]

La razón por la cual México es bueno en KOF es simple, muchos crecimos con franquicias como fatal fury, art of fighting en las maquinitas de la tienda, al ver por primera vez KOF con un crossover de ambas, y a eso, aplica el ir a jugar cuando te mandaban por las tortillas, se volvió una disciplina muy respetada.

[@AysarAburrub]

growing up in the 90s in my country, and due to the political situation there, we didnt have access to licensed video games, consoles, arcades etc. so we grew up playing hacked games on pc using emulators. I remember spending so many hours playing all kinds of Neo Geo games on PC with my brother, KOF 98 in particular was our most played game.

[@chaos13371]

I grew up in Mexico and in the late 90s KOF was by far the most popular and you could find it everywhere I have so many memories with my friends playing kof 97 and 98 😂

[@virtualclover]

One thing that I would like to mention is that most(If not all)of the machines that you can find in Mexico are not official neo-geo machines, they are essentially emulators or mugen machines, giving players access to pretty much every KOF available, or you could also play a myriad of other games, I remember as a kid going to the “maquinitas” to play smash 64.

[@danielscalera6057]

Arcade cabinets were also popular in Mexico and other countries for longer because they had high tariffs on home consoles

[@moisesmartinez-camacho8215]

Loved this video!! Super in depth and nostalgic for the maquinitas in Mex 🇲🇽

[@kinabalucat]

i still love Bala and always looking forward for his match replay of kof15. his Angel, Yamazaki and K'Dash (and now Kim). really hope he'll get sponsor to go to evo this year

[@qmanchu]

I always saw his KOFXV replays and thought he was sick but I didn't have the context until making this. He's such a legend

[@Syrusthegreat19]

He has a twitch channel , you should check it out and support him , I like that he tries combos that you don't see it very often , other players makes the same combos over and over that it gets boring