Top King of Fighters Fashion Evolutions | Character Style Analysis

[@andya9899]

I never imagined I'd be into "fashion analysis" but it's a lot of fun having X explaining and dissecting clothes.

[@XDF]

Yesss - always glad to have folks like you who dig the vibe :D

[@316toon]

KoF fans loooooove fashion baby

[@XDF]

It keeps the fashionistas fed!

[@Just_Some_Guy_with_a_Mustache]

I've always wanted to hear a fashion perspective on Iori's iconic knee-belt...thing. And now, I have it! Thank you! I'm also happy to hear some love for my man, Benimaru. Canonically, the character with the most tournament wins under his belt.

[@Memanruler]

KoF (artists especially) are fashion obsessed. Street Fighter kept it very close to the chest when it comes to designs, the "fighting style makes the figher" type of mantra. But SNK/KoF really went hard on "the fighter makes the fighting."

[@hollow6715]

The SHADE towards KoF XIII😭 You're 100% correct for the record, most of the designs are rough in that game. There will still be a war in the comment section though, XIII's visuals are a sacred cow to a big part of the community.

[@XDF]

Lol - I mean, i appreciate the art style objectively, but it's just doesnt flatter the characters. I'm glad they just focused on moving into 3D rendering instead. :P

[@hollow6715]

@@XDF Yeah 3D modeling can help with outfit design quite a lot, the designer can make them as flashy as they like and poor animators won't have to painstakingly redraw every detail for thousands of frames. It's probably one of the reasons why the Tekken series has a lot of interesting outfit designs wink wink nudge nudge

[@meganinten0078]

With all respect but I do like the more anime style KOF XIII has Takuma finally got a great design. In the previous games he looked generic. In XIII he looks like Doppo Orochi (Baki) which is awesome! Also that new fighting stance is much better! Kensou in XIII finally looks cool That green chinese outfit is his best look Mai in KOF XIII is my second favorite design for Mai (Maximum Impact Mai being my #1) 🥰 And there are other characters I do like their redesigns like Athena (chibi Athena is overhated), King, Yuri, Ryo, Terry (he was always very buff, just look at the Real Bout Fatal Fury games) and K'

[@mullerlira4391]

Kof XIII has awful fashion choices, HOWEVER the pixel art style is beautiful, the choice of bringing back the sprites from XII was a great idea

[@judo_ashtray]

@@mullerlira4391 the end results were beautiful but, thanks to the way they made such high resolution sprites, it turned out to be a terrible idea. They modeled and animated each character in 3D before rotoscoping individual frames to create the sprites. The doubling up of work is why KOF 12 was released half-finished to meet deadlines, the intended KOF 12 becoming KOF 13 as a result.

[@quixodeath8879]

omg i love looking at fighting games as fashion. i always have. you're doing a great service to us all. ALSO, don't think we didnt notice your KOF inspired outfit. Lookin FIERCE

[@XDF]

Glad I'm finding people as into this entertainment media fashion as I am!

[@neonthunder3261]

Fighting games get underrated in so many categories. Style, narrative, its all there.

[@whiteboy7thstreet]

ill always love kof because of how they adopt and alter characters fashion sensibilities. the same vibe and aesthetic but just showing off that range so fucking good

[@XDF]

Exactly

[@cptsonicbelmont]

This has easily become one of my favorite channels. No nonsense, pure passion, and great analysis. I knew I always liked the styles from these games, but never had the language to express it, so thank you for your service! 🥰🖤🖤🖤

[@XDF]

Love this awesome feedback - thank you! :D

[@KOF-Family]

I've always loved observing the outfits of the characters and I have thought many times that these designs are very dashing and people should try them in real life! Definitely enjoying your videos right now!

[@XDF]

Glad you like them!

[@miguerys9503]

These are A JOY to watch! Very inspiring when it comes to design characters, keep it up!!

[@XDF]

Appreciate that awesome feedback

[@vitormanuel5291]

Fun fact: Benimaru was inspired by Jean Pierre Polnareff from Jojo!! That's why he's first design looks so much like him! And btw, his hair is usually down, it only goes up only when he's fighting because of his electric powers! Great video!!!! Loved it!!!

[@XDF]

Love that insight! And I did see on one of the Wikis that devs just started calling him "Polnareff". And yes, I've seen a glimpse of Beni with his hair down - sooo glamorous! :D

[@judo_ashtray]

I wonder who's the better JJBA ri- I mean, homage: Benimaru or SF's Rose?

[@friskycalibri2293]

Ughh, I love both. Don't make me choose.

[@scarlightprince]

@@judo_ashtray Beats me, gods is Guile going to need a pick-me-up, especially since he was apparently based off Stroheim appearance-wise, while Polnareff was character-wise.

[@judo_ashtray]

​@@scarlightprince I know this is probably blasphemous to say but I think his SF6 alt costume, with the ponytail, vest, flared jeans, and boots look is the direction they should go with him in the future. It makes him look like a dad who likes to disappear on weekends to go boar hunting with the boys. IDK, I'm just a sucker for costume updates that show the progression of time.

[@BioTroy]

I genuinely appreciate how much research you put into your videos. Like, it would have been easy to just judge outfits on a surface level, but you go the extra mile and read up on the history of the series and each character bios too! Very awesome stuff, keep it up!

[@XDF]

I appreciate that!

[@mdgiudice8797]

I'm far from being a fashion guy, but always love to see some KOF videos that doenst have to do with gameplay.

[@XDF]

Thanks for giving it a watch - a little fashion perspective never hurt anyone

[@stoopidgrrl]

literally discovered your channel not even a couple of hours ago and i am obsessed with your content. i always love to see people talk about video games/anime/nerdy things in new ways! i'd love to see your take on splatoon's fashion as i've always thought it to be one of the most interesting nintendo series in terms of the fashion, the in universe culture, music and everything.

[@fourstrings4164]

"Even from his debut, we can tell that Robert is hot" Just funny when isolated

[@XDF]

Haha, I had to express that

[@Chalepastel]

HE ISSSSSSSSS

[@thisoldboy4111]

This is a much better format i think! I like learning your favourites but comparing character designs throughout a series history is fire. More pls

[@XDF]

Thanks for the feedback. There's definitely room for both - glad folks are enjoying the variety 😀

[@officegossip]

I always enjoyed the KOF character designs a lot more than Street Fighter II’s ever since I first saw them as a little kid. There’s nothing wrong with the latter its just that my preference was always the cool, chic and hip men and women. The older games have aged well in terms of that. Shermie’s outfit is my all time favorite though.

[@mailsprower1]

When I was looking at the KoF outfits myself, I noticed a curious dichotomy between Kyo and Iori, that is how similar they are despite the differences. It makes sense, given they are supposed to be the main hero/villain pair here. They both have a punkish attitude, expressed in the black leather jacket, studs, chains and various metal accessories, and a prominent buckle.Their overall outfit silhouette is largely the same, as well as their hairstyles. But the differences come in how each of these is pulled off, and the end result makes a stark contrast. Kyo is much more "composed" despite his streetwise look, not going much farther than a straight jacket and regular jeans. His shapes are more parallel and blocky, his colours very casual. Iori appears to be a conscious fashionista, sporting numerous belts and chains, an unfastened and cropped jacket, adding accent colours and wearing contrasting layers. His shapes are more jagged and chaotic. I don't know how much of a deliberate design choice this was, but I found it interesting that despite their antagonism, they are sort of the same.

[@XDF]

I think that's a fair breakdown - interesting observations.

[@theopulentone1650]

Thank you for doing a more indepth style evolution on the characters of KOF. I was very interested in your opinions on Iori and Benimaru, so I'm glad you got around to it.

[@PSNRadicalHighway]

Thanks for another banger video X! I can listen to you break down fighting game outfits all day!

[@XDF]

Thank you so much - appreciate the ongoing support 🫶🏽

[@juandre5584]

This might be my new favorite late night channel, loving it!!!

[@XDF]

Yeessss - love that

[@hanayaseth]

Thanks for having Billy because people rarely talked about him. I like him specifically because of his weapon of choice is what I study too (Bo Staff and Sansetsukon/Three Sections Staff). The surprise character at the end is nice too because he's my favourite in the whole KoF!

[@SpeedKing125]

glad i could help thanks so much for the shoutout 👍👍😁

[@shahs1221]

Not me lowkey hoping for a Tekken analysis (especially for T8 because GOD there have been so many amazing glowups 😭)! Appreciate your awesome videos! You're underrated af!!

[@XDF]

Appreciate the support! Lots of fighting games requested - eventually for sure, just gotta mix other stuff in between ;)

[@BenCaesar]

Love the depth KOF appreciation. It’s some of the best character design ever

[@mullerlira4391]

Love seeing someone out of latin america talking about KOF. This franchise deserves love from all over the world

[@XDF]

Not exactly out of latin america, but I'm latino and definitely appreciate the latin flavor in this franchise!

[@scarlightprince]

Now that I have time... let's go over each section! 1. Billy Kane: Thanks to a Twitter post, the appearance is apparently taking from five sources. It's great to see how something as small as an accessory only helps elevate things, as both a bit of a callback and adding some twist to a look. 2. Iori: I do feel as if it evolves from a uniform into a rugged life as a young adult, ultimately ending in something refined without being a full-on suit so to say. The absence of the straps on the legs does feel like a restraint, so it kind of paints into his evolution over the years. 3. Benimaru is an easy look to recognize but as you stated, it's great seeing the little details that help make his usual look so fresh, I love it. 4. Robert is a lovely look, often switching it up. As for their most recent look, I dig it not only because of that air that you could expect from Italy or Spain, but it does remind me of Luka, so it could be a slight Bayonetta bias. 5. Athena is Athena, though I know people who could go on for days and I wouldn't mind. BONUS: Kyo is good, though I wouldn't seeing his white outfits more often.

[@therealgumdrop]

More of these evolution videos please!

[@gustavomelhoramigodaellen]

This was A nice follow up! Keep it up!

[@XDF]

Appreciate it!

[@goranisacson2502]

It was fn to see what you had to say about these developments: Billy Kane isn't a character I think much about so I hadn't even noticed his striped shirt in the latest City of Wolves game to sort of compensate for his lost bandana. City of Wolves is also a time-skip game so he's older there and the person who took over his boss's crime syndicate, so I suppose one can read that outfit as him moving into something a little more class, a little more "boss" rather than underling. A lot of fans liked the bandana though, so taking that element away and moving the stripes to someplace more subtle has been met with some backlash. I like Iori's fashion-evolution more than his rival Kyo Kusanagi, because I kinda feel like Kyo's strongest signature look was his first, the "delinquent" look, and XV was the one that did it best by evolving it from uniform to "James Dean"-ish bad boy with a leather jacket- I never really vibed with his white outfits. But Iori retains his striking color scheme in pretty much all his outfits and always remained imposing and memorable- kinda interesting how he lost the belt connecting his pant-legs in 13 because they probably felt that animating the belt with those very expensive sprites would have been WAY too much work, and then they gave him a coat as they went into 3D probably due to wanting to give him some way to singinfy "movement" that the loose belt did before in his animatinos, but without including a belt that would flop around and probably go through the 3D-models. A coat provides both something that "swooshes" around but can also remain within the modelers control easier than a belt. Technology and fashion co-operating... although it would also have been fun to see you include Iori's school-girl outfit that he wore in his cameo as "Ms X" in the all-female spin-off games, but it's really not that cool an outfit in terms of evolving his color scheme or showing another side to him- it was pretty much just a joke where he wears a mask and a long-skirted girls uniform. Can't blame you for not knowing it existed. Benimaru and Robert ARE indeed fashion, but because Benimaru's look doesn't really change much I never really had much to think about him. Most interesting part is that his XV-look includes more chinese design elements in his vest as he lost the crop-top because he took over leadership of Shun'eis team in that game, as the old guy who lead them in 14 was busy with other things in the story. Robert... I have to admit I don't really get why he has two very different colorschemes, blue and white versus tan and black, like what the statement was behind changing them up, but I definitely like his blue and white better than the tan. The blue looks classier than the tan, I guess. And then there's Athena, and not much to say about her that hasn't been said. Pop-idol whose outfits often evoke youth, school-girl, fashion, and a Chinese elment... despite her actually being the only one from the Psycho Soldier team who's NOT Chinese but Japanese. An explanation for her barebones school-girl uniform is that she's originally from an old arcade game where that was her outfit, so when she's just plopped into a school-girl uniform and had pink-toned hair in KOF13 that's mostly SNK trying to nostalgia-bomb the audience. Doesn't really work for the fans who didn't play that original game, as it released in 1987... so yeah, the idol-outfits are definitely the more memorable looks for most fans.

[@murillomesmo8189]

I never looked at it much as a "fashion" sense when looking at characters before sawing your first kof vid in it. I aways looked at it in more broad Character design sense (not only their outfit but how they present themselves as a whole, posture, fighting style, how they sound how they move, etc), which overtime made me change to liking/resonating way more with Street Fighter than KOF (and ok, tho character design is on the top of my reasons to like games, gameplay has a lot of weight on it too). And back to KOF, hurts me to say but its SO TRUE about KOFXIII! It still sits as my favorite KOF game, visually I think its the most impressive it ever looked, not a fan of their 3d (specially when you look at what they are competing against), but their pixel art was magestic!... but they butchered so many designs on that game T-T xDDD! Loving to see a fresh take from "outside my camp", having a lot of fun with it. If you consider taking a chance with street fighter, I'd recommend focus only on the street fighter 6 cast first to see if it interest you, I think its the best the game has ever looked on a fashion sense, even tho I love some older timers design so much and praying to eventually get them back in this game (together with that frash very well designed new take). Srry for the long comment xD Edit: You looking great btw, felt like you could be a character on the game with this look!

[@TakeYourLewds]

I love seeing kof being talked about its the best fighter around imo

[@XDF]

Definitely a solid franchise

[@jaderabbit898]

Funny thing about Robert's XI outfit is that it comes from anther game enirely, they just plop the sprite into the PS2 version of KOFXI (which I don't mind, it's my favorite look of Robert). Side note, I am a bit surprised you didn't mention Ryo's other outfits, primarily when he becomes Mr. Karate II (Then again, that'd be leaning into SNK fashion than just specifically KOF).

[@XDF]

Robert is everything, and easy fashion. Ryo, among many other characters, couldn't seem to fully break away from karate/typical martial artist looks. Solid aesthetics - but not nearly as fashion as the top evos i prefer ;)

[@jaderabbit898]

@@XDF That’s fair. Ryo’s most drastic look is just him ditching the gi for another martial artist outfit lol

[@sanctityninja9345]

Soooo, I gotta say Kensou has my favorite evolution of outfits from wearing a casual jean jacket combo to wearing a whole Chinese Kung fu outfit

[@meganinten0078]

KOF XIII Kensou is peak Kensou Easily his best look

[@XDF]

I did like that glow-up for him

[@o_oro-q1k]

22:09 By the way that's actually a completely different character! Kusanagi is one of the many clones that were created using the original Kyo's DNA.

[@XDF]

Interesting - thanks for sharing. Most Kyo evolution videos included that version, so I just went with it. :P

[@SeelkadoomandJokic00]

So, actually, my favorite Robert Garcia design was the incredibly different redesign from KoF XI that I'm glad you really like. I wish they kept the design for Xii & Xiii so that one disappoints me alot. Wish it came back as a classic outfit.

[@slimesama4264]

Would love to see you do the Tekken characters sometime, their outfits can be really great sometimes.

[@EKsUrbanTracks]

Love the fashion POV, the KOV devs spend a lot of time reinventing these outfits, so nice to see someone appreciate them. Do you also play Street Fighter? They're more shy when it comse to giving their characters but maybe you can look into Street Fighter 6! Channels like yours and Baberuthless are what we need in gamine/animé :D

[@WikiHL]

Love the 3 fenix tails on Athena's XV outfit

[@XDF]

Those are some lovely details for sure.

[@psychoreactive]

I just subbed because I think you might do a Street Fighter 6 fashion analysis very soon - and I'm looking forward to that!

[@XDF]

Thanks! Idk about very soon, but eventually for sure.

[@LucasDarkGiygas]

thanks for the video

[@XDF]

Of course!

[@jojijoestar7233]

I await your opinion on the NESTS outfit

[@XDF]

I almost included that character as a top fav - there may be room to explore evos further

[@jojijoestar7233]

@@XDF NGL that’s the outfit I associate the most with Kyo. The white jacket and black longsleeve with the silver cross is a top 10 fit in KOF in my opinion.

[@Musubi95]

I was hoping to see Ash in this list but still love the vid

[@XDF]

I might do another KoF evo video for the smaller scale glow-ups.

[@zh7761]

if you ever do another one of these I'd love to hear your opinion on the boss characters. Their outfits are some of my favorites

[@sutakira9992]

Dunno how into Street Fighter you are, but were there any characters you enjoyed the fashion of?

[@XDF]

Street Fighter has been recommended so many times - so I'll definitely cover it.I'm confident there's some standout looks.

[@rgg1009]

Thank you for the vid :) It was quite fun to see both the outfit evolution and your opinion on each one! ps.: 19:22 I know it's basically the same design, but what about Athena KOF XII design? It's the same but dark blue sooo

[@XDF]

I'm glad you enjoyed the video. Personally, I dont think the XII athena outfit brings significant value to her style trajectory. :P

[@NegoClau]

KOF XIV Benimaru's outfit is his best. Fight me!

[@XDF]

No doubt it's a strong look 👍🏽

[@sephiran973]

Iori reminds me to Morrigan when it comes to their outifts and battle pose. They don't need to change it, when it's right, it's right.

[@XDF]

Word - if it ain't broke don't fix it

[@EEAEE616]

Funny thing Athena hd sprites looks in 12 and 13 are her look in the psycho soldier arcade game that predates kof and art of fighting/fatal fury Edit. Same goes to kensou as well

[@Chalepastel]

YESSSSS MOREEEEEEEEE MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

[@brianparker5323]

KoF13 is always a weird one. They were going a very specific direction with the character design, moving away from the more grounded/realistic look of many of the earlier ones. Really leaned into body type differentiation, nearly to the point of parody. Clark and Ralph are so over muscled they shouldn't be able to move. The big thing with 13 is that its animation is incredibly fluid and a joy to see in motion. But I completely understand why the art design is divisive. As a video suggestion for the future, you might want to consider re-analyzing Kyo and Iori together. They're rivals, and are always contrasted against each other. I've never really considered if their design/fashion compliment or contrast each other or not.

[@JOTAROOT]

I think the direction was going into classics looks as much as possible. Psycho Soldiers and Ikari warriors had their original costume. Many such as Robert was going back to KoF' 94 look. I think they were aiming Ash Saga UM size of roster but failed to do so because of Pachinko loving president/ceo treating (fighting) game department as a neglected step-child. If they would get a decent budget, we could have gotten more characters and stages. I wonder with AI, I think the workload of pixel art might be lessened, and we might see 4K sprites again. Of course it would still need talent to work on it heavily to have a coherent style.

[@maelin4118]

You should do a video on dead or alive, I feel like no one every talks about how fashionable how some of the costumes are.

[@XDF]

It'll probably be one of the last ones I cover

[@blazegamingx3]

tekken revolutions would be so cool! i think there are so many varying and cool outfits between games

[@GarnetDust24]

Yaaaaaas

[@XDF]

Yaasss

[@NorioKOF]

Another kof video? You're spoiling me

[@mariocesarsilva656]

Some more looks to see: Original Fatal Fury Billy; Another Iori; Another Benimaru; Maximum Impact Kyo; KoF XII Athena.

[@moriamortimorte]

Billy in wild ambition & 2k3 🚬

[@Lesadtoad1313]

Mai is perfect in all the games

[@WikiHL]

But her Fatal Fury 3/Real Bout jacket stands above all

[@Lesadtoad1313]

@WikiHL she hasn't worn that jacket in the kof series. Do be nice if she did do

[@meganinten0078]

Maximum Impact Mai and KOF XIII Mai are peak Mai's design!

[@Lesadtoad1313]

@@meganinten0078 ye short hair mai still looks pretty good

[@spectrumbots4268]

What I adore about Iori's XV outfit is that it resembles the Another Iori striker from KOF 2000, though one thing I do miss from his old design was the red belt between his legs. I never liked how he looked in the MI games. For Beni & Athena, I always loved the former's 2003/XI due to the black pants and the Leopard Print. For the latter, I LOVE her 2002 design due to the futuristic look and the clever use of simplistic colors. The XII/XIII sprites are a HUGE downgrade from the Neo-Geo and Atomiswave sprites.

[@coilcitu]

great video

[@XDF]

Thanks!

[@Agi5864]

Really wish I had body confidence 😞

[@XDF]

It's not everything. General self-confidence is more important. You got this

[@Agi5864]

@@XDF Aw, thanks for the kind words :3

[@Blazegreg2005]

BESTIES WAKE UP! Fatha XDF is talking about KOF AGAIN!!! Whats more? He went over EVERY Athena Outfit. Godbless!!! On that note? I shall give my own opinion~ I 100% agree, I HATED Athena's 2000 and 2001 iterations. Not just because the Outfits are... Not my taste (being nice) Her Stance Changed! Something about Athena having a more Defensive looking stance as opposed to her more Energy-Filled, Bounding Around, Fun-Loving Stance just bothered me! 2003 Athena however? Lives Rent free in my head. I am a HUGE J-Pop Idol Fan. And That type of Idol Group Outfit always makes me smile. Super Stinkin' Cute!

[@XDF]

Yessss - aligned on that Athena perspective.

[@gemani_gem]

I think Ash Crimson first outfit is my favorite from the whole series S2

[@jalapenoofjustice4682]

The KOF timeline is weird because after about 15 annual tournaments nobody has aged. Athena should be in her 30s by now.

[@XDF]

Do other fighting game characters age? I definitely think with awesome new characters added to KoF, exploring the "aging route" for some fighters could be interesting, especially as far as outfits.

[@fabioherrera859]

In the case of Snk games as a whole, the only case of seen characters ageing is with both Garou games ( Mark of the wolves and City of the wolves) with older versions of Terry Bogard and Billy ( by the way City of the wolves hasn't revealed the whole roster so is posible to see an older Mai or Andy). In the case of other fighting games from other companies, Street Fighter 6 has a significant time jump with older versions of the World Warriors ( the cast of the second game) alongside returning characters from 5 and 4. There's also Tekken, with their biggest time jump being between Tekken 2 and Tekken 3, speaking of which Tekken has good outfits too.

[@jalapenoofjustice4682]

@@XDF it's more noticeable with KOF because there are 15 of these things. The last 2 Fatal Fury games have a clearer passage of time - you saw it with Billy Kane in this video. the one major example I can really think of of a character growing up between games is Sakura's design in Street Fighter V. 4 put her in a schoolgirl outfit despite her explicitly being past high school age at that point - SF4 didn't change anyone's design because it was supposed to be a return to form after a long absence for the series.

[@judo_ashtray]

​@@XDFKyo's updated look in KOF 99 was because of a short timeskip between storylines that had him graduate high school. But since then the KOF timeline has largely stopped mattering. Clearest example of this is the presence of both Geese and Rock together in the same game. In Fatal Fury Rock is only 9 or 10 when Geese dies. In KOF there's adult Rock next to his undead unaged birth father.

[@judo_ashtray]

​@@fabioherrera859Joe also appeared in the first promo art for City of the Wolves so hopefully we get him as well in some form. Probably won't be playable considering the Preecha has most of his moveset. Also Mai did appear in Mark of the Wolves!.. completely unchanged because it was only a quick cameo. In Hokutomaru's ending he's approached by Mai because she's looking for Andy.

[@AbubakrLDN]

How do you feel about Kyos Maximum Impact look?

[@XDF]

I like it actually, a nice twist like how Athena's was. Bummer that I overlooked it for evo

[@joebobomb5554]

can you rate soul calibur characters' fashion? im really interested in what you have to say about amy, ivy and leixia

[@igorcoutinholeandro5689]

Not sure if you're aware, Athena's biggest special move in kof xiii show her past clothes kzbin.info/www/bejne/gpXMkq1-bq5_ja8

[@XDF]

Thanks - I know. Doesnt help her evolution imo

[@igorcoutinholeandro5689]

@@XDF love your videos! Got here because Kof. Gonna share with some friends

[@leo-gi3yc]

❤❤❤❤

[@huann_binimbol]

'97 Athena was bad in my opinion. It looks too dated for that decade.

[@XDF]

I can see that. I think a different shirt and shoes could have helped

[@-obamium5320]

Im not a fan of Billy’s hair in the upcoming fatal fury game it reminds me too much of Guy Fieri

[@XDF]

Huh? That's random, lol xD