The King of Fighters XI is the first game in the series to abandon the traditional numbering convention used by the series. It is also the first game in the series to move beyond the hardware capabilities of the Neo-Geo system. The King of Fighters XI is the eleventh installment in the long-running King of Fighters series that SNK Playmore publishes. The ninth event in the official storyline is also featured in this game. After a two-year hiatus from competition, both the King of Fighters tournament and its competitors are back for more after the contentious reappearance of the Orochi power in the 2003 installment. Others are motivated to compete in the game to settle past scores.
In contrast, others are interested in learning more about the new Orochi situation and the adversarial combatant Ash Crimson. The King of Fighters XI roster includes 33 “team” characters, 7 characters specific to the PS2 version of the game, 5 mid-boss characters, and 2 boss characters. This gives the player access to a pool of more than forty characters. Although many characters are return combatants from previous entries in the KOF series, noteworthy new faces appear in the shape of Oswald, Duck King, Bonne Jenet, Elisabeth Blanctorche, and Gai Tendo. In addition, many of the returning fighters have new moves and abilities.
