The King of Fighters - jkflay's Furry AU Page

Aka the place where the context for my KOF brainrot from work flourishes

If you know anything about me, it's that I'm a furry and that I'm a fan of KOF. So I guess it'd only be inevitable that these two likes of mine would crossover, especially after hours of work where I'm putting things back where they belong with nothing to do but have my head in the clouds. So after some years of working and daydreaming, my little personal AU has become so solidified in my mind that I can write so much about it all alongside my previous KOF headcanons and fanon things. And so I'm dedicating this page to all of that, from worldbuilding, to who is what animal, to what stories I've thought about in this world. With all of that said...

Worldbuilding

If you didn't know, I love worldbuilding - it's one of my favorite aspects of fantasy and sci-fi and it's something that can make or break something for me. Sure you could go, "humans are anthropomorphic animals case closed" but that leaves you a ton of questions and holes to fill. If people are animals, what are the animals of this world? What type of animals are people? Is there a divide between predators and prey animal people? Is there divison between mammals, avains, reptiles, amphians, fish and insects? What do the animal people eat? How does society function in a world of so many races and species of animals? There's so many things to think about that you wouldn't consider until you get into the nitty-gritty of it. Series like Beastars and A Centaur's Life are prime examples of series that focus on the world of anthro-animals and fantasy creatures and the ways the differences and alterations between ours and theirs, and I love that so much! (I could go without the anime "fanservice" of teenagers in A Centaur's Life so be aware of that and skip those gross bits)

So what would this world of KOF anthro animals be? Well first off it'd take place in the modern day cuz KOF does, it'd be silly if it didn't, and anything that happened in the games happened in this world (the Orochi stuff, the super sci-fi nonesense, the interdimensional gods, etc.). The types of anthro-animal races in this world are Mammals, Avains, Reptiles, and Amphibians; the equivalent of feral animals in this world are evolved versions of crusteaceans, fish, insects, arachnids, and... humans. Yes, humans - humanoids to be exact. Harpies, ogres, mermaids, dwarves and such these are all animals in this world and these along side the others are the source of meat for the people of this world. Speaking of the people, there is a ton of variety in regards to the races and species inhabiting this world. Cats, walruses, chickens, snakes, camians, axolotls, Galapogos tortoises, lemurs, chimpanzees, aardvarks, swans, Avali - if it fits it's a person. For mythical cretures, it's a bit complicated; for dragons they're born at random, grow wings (of any kind) when they mature and can't make more dragons themselves - phoenixes are able to come back to life but they stay dead for about 9 months and can only ressurect 9 times before they die for real; unicorns, pegasi, and alicorns have a bit of magic (though anybody can summon magic and stuff since KOF is like that); Hybrid animals between different races such as Mammal + Avian are a thing and referred to Chimeras.

That's the basis of the world. Enough rules and building that makes it distinct and fun to think about, while adhereing/adapting to the KOF world. I hope it makes sense and that you find it as fun as I do.

Who is What Animal?

My methodology for deciding what character is what animal is a little more in depth than some would assume. As the wise deer-time on Tumblr dot com once said,

When I decide what characters are what animals, I try to make that animal align with their stories, their themes, their personality, their design, if it fits them then it is them. You may not agree with me on what I make some characters, but in my opinion these fit who they are and I hope that the reasons I give helps you see what I'm going for.

A while ago I made a little chart with furry versions of the KOF XV roster but it's too big for this page to properly render out, so instead I'll make a simple list with who is what, some notes for why if I have some, and if that why is long they get some paragraphs to themselves. And if I have the time, I'll make art of the furry versions of the characters for here. How fun.

~King of Fighters XV Roster

- Shun'ei: Dragon (Amp. Specter Wings: Fire=Butterfly, Water=Insect)

Shun'ei is a far departure from the rest of the KOF protagonists in a lot of ways, and I want to show that with my choice of animals for them being a type of "escalation" per-say: from a domestic herbivore to a wild herbivore to a wild carnivore to a mythical carnivore. I feel that if KOF was initally conceived as a furry series or was made in a world of furries it'd go like that as a sign of "You think that guy was cool, wait til you see THIS guy who's an even cooler animal!" Back to Shun'ei himself, him being a dragon would be more than a marketing pull, but also a sign of his connection to a greater/cosmic power: his Amplified Specters. They're an other-worldly power with a ton of world changing potential and of all animals I think of - real and fictional - dragons are the ones I think fit Shun'ei best. And that point on potential and power are particularlly important for Shun'ei: he struggles with controlling his powers and thus closes himself from others keeping himself from growing. By the end he matures and opens himself to letting go of his fears of rejection/hurting others and mastering his powers and growing real wings.

- Meitenkun: Ragdoll Cat

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- Benimaru: Cheetah

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- Isla: Dragon (Amp. Specter/Amanda: Wyvern Wings)

Alot of the same reasons for why Shun'ei is a dragon applies with Isla too. Though with her it's to show their similarities and difference between them. Both teens close themselves from others, with Isla's reason for being because of her pasted of distrusting adults/authority so she rejects connection with pretty much everyone. And this rejection prevents her from growing her wings out like Shun'ei.

- Heidern: Velociraptor

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- Dolores: Wild Boar

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- Kyo: Jacob Sheep

Kyo is the character I have the most to say about why he's a sheep so buckle up buckaroo. Steel wool is a type of firestarter, Kyo makes fire so that pun is an easy connection; the first fully cloned animal was a sheep and considering Kyo's cloning deal it makes sense; Kyo's design changes over the course of the series so him having horns that grow over time would be a clever way to show that growth. Additionally, Jacob's Sheep usually grow multiple horns and I think that NESTS would cut them down for DNA. Having one set stay stunted and another grow could be a fascinating way to show that NESTS impacted him but he's moving on in a way; Continuing on with this, overgrown wool greatly weighs down and hurts sheep. I think that NESTS would shear his inital wool coat, and from then on Kyo would grow and keep a new coat to the point where it becomes overgrown. It'd be a literal metaphor of Kyo carrying the weight of his NESTS trauma and using it to shield him both from harm and kindness. He believes that the coat helps him, but it's only a barrier between others.

- Iori: Black Cat

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- Chizuru: Red-Crowned Crane

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- Chris/Orochi Chris: Field Mouse

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- Yashiro/Orochi Yashiro: Crocodile

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- Shermie/Orochi Shermie: Cave Bat

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- Terry: Hudson Bay Wolf

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- Andy: Golden Retriever

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- Joe: Howler Monkey

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- Athena: Phoenix (Cockatiel)

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- Mai: Flemish Giant Rabbit

So fun fact: the day I made this art was the day that Mai come out in SF6 and I had no idea. Fun coincidence. Anyway, Mai being a rabbit seems very obvious too me: she hops and bounces all around the stage, her ponytail reminds me of rabbit ears, and her cheery personality is very bunny like in my opinion.

- Yuri: American Oppossum

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- Ryo: Grizzly Bear

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- Robert: Bengal Tiger

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- King: White-Tailed Deer

King's whole thing was disguising herself as a man in the AOF games - which KOF dropped cuz sex appeal sells - so to reflect that I made her a deer as they're one of the most obviously gendered animals out there with her having antlers. Additionally, in the games when King is K.O.'d by a strong move her shirt bursts open showing her breasts; as an alterntive, in her deer form her antlers would break, showing her as a woman. But there's another, eviler reason I made her a deer. The whole reason she fought in the AOF games was to get enough money for a surgery her little brother needs to walk again. The reason for him not being able to walk was due to an injury, but I have a much more diabolical source for this version: Chronic Wasting Disease. Perhaps in this version, King's little brother is also a deer suffering from Chronic Wasting Disease and she enters these tournaments not only for the thrill and her friends, but also to afford treatment for her little brother. Irl CWD is fatal, but I imagine that a modern day animal world would find a way to stave it off temporarily like how we do with cancer.

- Luong: Cape Cobra

Luong's a pretty sneaky and seductively dangerous character, and I feel that her being a snake would fit her to a tee. I chose a Cape Cobra specifically because it's venomous so she could take someone out with her kisses/bites.

- Blue Mary: English Pointer

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- Vanessa: Red Fox

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- K': Dutch Rabbit

With how his jacket has "Beast of Prey" on his jacket you'd assume he'd be a predator or carnivore, but you'd be mistaken. K' - along with a couple of the NESTS characters - were experimented, cloned and genetically engineered by NESTS; and to reflect that origin I chose an animal related to laboratory testing: a rabbit. I chose rabbits specifically because K' is very speedy - what with his shadow teleport-thingy, his zoom kick, and how alot of his moves are kick based and rabbits kick alot. Plus when rabbits are angry they loudly stamp on the ground and I can picture K' doing that.

- Maxima: Polar Bear

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- Whip: Dutch Rabbit

With K' being her brother and was similarly experimented and cloned by NESTS, I figure it'd be good to make her a rabbit too.

- Krohnen: Protogen (Sheep + Rabbit mix)

Given how Krohnen's a clone/artifically made, I figure that Krohnen should be something artifical too. And protogens are kinda that. For Krohnen specifically, he has a wooly sheep body/tail and horns from Kyo, and rabbit ears and legs like K'. He gives off a hostile aura and barrier with his protogen mask that fits with his cocky attitude and be a subsitute for his goggles. Though what's under there is a bit of an opportunity; protogens don't have a canonical "unmasked" face according to their lore they can't breathe/function without them. But here, I'll bend the rules a bit to say that under the mask, Krohnen's face would be a sheep/rabbit mix.

- Angel: Siberian Lynx

Angel already is cat-coded with all of her "nya"-ing, but the reason why she's a lynx is because lynxes have those giant paws and with how Angel's a grappler and how silly she is I think it fits.

- Kula: French-Lop Rabbit

With how K' and Whip are both rabbits and how Kula is kinda their little sister, you'd think that'd be the reason why she's a rabbit and that's partially the case. Kula gives off cute animal vibes and a cute little bunny fits. Additionally her hair can be represented with lop rabbit ears and I think that'd be fun.

- Leona: Snow Leopard

Leona's part of a military group and often espionage is a part of it. Snow Leopards (Sneps) are famous for how well they blend into their mountain habitat. I feel that it fits Leona's personality and vibes, plus when Sneps get surprised they do a super funny leap away and I feel like Leona would do that.

- Ralf: German Shepard

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- Clark: Labrador Retriever

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- Ash: Artic Fox

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- Elizabeth: Blue Picardy Spaniard

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- Kukri: Milk Snake

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- Antonov: Domestic Bull

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- Ramon: Siberian Tiger

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- King of Dinosaurs: Tarantulosaurus-Rex

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- Rock: Coywolf-Goose Mix

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- B. Jenet: Domestic Rat

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- Gato: Ocelot

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- Geese: Phoenix (Cotton Patch Goose)

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- Billy: Domestic Goat

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- Yamazaki: Black Cat

I'll be honest the entire reason why Yamazaki is a cat and not a hyena (he has a crazy hyena laugh) is because of a friend of mine draws him as a catboy...man. Though I will add that him having that white furcoat means that he probably killed and skinned someone for it. Makes sense for a guy like him.

- Haohmaru: Japanese Bantam Chicken

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- Nakoruru and Mamahaha: Mountain Hawk-Eagle and Harpy

Nakoruru is pretty much the only fighter in KOF that fights with an animal, so it's pretty obvious that I'd make Nako' into a Moutain Hawk-Eagle like Mamahaha is. But for Mamahaha, remember what I said about how some of this world's animals being human-like creatures? Here's where I cash that logic out: Mamahaha is a harpy here. Now it's a near complete swap for the two of them.

- Darli Dagger: Ring-Tailed Lemur

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- Omega Rugal: Black Panther

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- Goenitz: Dragon

Goenitz being a pretty iconic villain in the KOF pantheon I feel that he should be a powerful and intimidating animal. I decided that a dragon fits him for that reason, dragons embody those traits and with him being able to control the wind, it brings to mind dragons flying through giant windstorms or whipping up tornados on their own. Additionally, since Goenitz is one of several resurrected characters in KOFXV, I deliberately gave his dragon-self feathery angel wings and a halo like set of horns to represent him dying once.

- Shingo: Great Pyrnees

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- Kim: Javan Mongoose

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- Sylvie Paula Paula: Dutch Angel Dragon

With how out-there Slyvie is with her 'RAWR XD' energy it feels that no real animal would fit her. Personally, I think she's the type of person to have 70+ fursonas and OCs with eyeballs and rainbows all over them and not know what a furry is. And what's more quirky of a furry OC species than a dragon? And not just a dragon, but a fluffy feather-y dragon? Thus, she's a Dutch Angel Dragon.

- Duo Lon: Southern Pacific Rattlesnake

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- Najd: Folf (Fennec Fox + Gray Wolf)

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- Hinako: Wolverine

This choice is more of a "gameplay-vibes" choice than anything. Someone I fight often mains Hinako, and they're really good with her. It feels like an uphill battle trying to beat their Hinako, so whenever I think of her I associate her with brutality and savagery. And wolverines are the epitome of those qualities. So, she's a wolverine.

- Vice and Mature: African Lion and White Lion

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And I guess I can include some other furry versions of characters, for example:

~Other KOF Characters~

- Nameless: Avali

With NESTS being all about technology and sci-fi, I feel like it'd be appropriate that Nameless being an alien species would be fitting. An initally I was torn between Sergals and Avali, with the factor in favor of Avali being the fact that Nameless was raised on Mars and I imagine Avali would live on Mars.

- Sie Kensou: Frill Lizard

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- Kyo-1 and Kyo-2: Jacob Sheep

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- Kusanagi: Demon

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- May Lee: Poison Dart Frog

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- Xanadu: Killer Whale

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- Chang and Choi: African Elephant and Lesser Weasel

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- Tung Fu Rue: Galapagos Tortoise

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- Goro Daimon: Galcier Bear

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- Candy Diamond: Synth

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- Diana and Foxy: Island Foxes

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- Alice Garnet Nakata: Domestic Cat

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- KOF for Girls Protagonist - Striped Skunk

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- Nagi: Kitsune

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- Yomi: Yatagarasu

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~Maximum Impact Characters~

- Alba Meira: Mustang

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- Soiree Meira: Belgian Draught

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- Lien Nevelle: Swift Fox

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- Mignon Beart: Spirit Bear

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- Chae Lim: Siberian Musk Deer

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- Luise Meyrink: Alicorn (Zebra with Butterfly Wings)

Luise has an alien/magical vibe to her so since I made the Meira brothers equines, Luise should also be one and alicorns are the most magical of equines; the butterfly wings should be a no-brainer due to her butterfly association just about everywhere and her having a little bit of flight. As for why a zebra, I think it looks good and the blue hue on the mouth is a good translation of her wearing lipstick without it looking weird.

- Nagase: Panda Bear

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- Ninon Beart: Spirit Bear

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- Xiao Lon: Southern Pacific Rattlesnake

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~Various SNK Characters~

- Marco Rossi: Peregrine Falcon

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- Eri Kasamoto: Cheetah

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- Fio Germani: Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

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- Tarma Roving: Doberman

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- Nadia Cassel: Ball Python

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- Trevor Spacey: Reindeer

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- Munch Mobile: MM.EXE

The instant that I found out that this was a SNK game, I had the devious idea of it being the SNK equivalent of Sonic.EXE. For the funny.

~ Other FG Characters~

- Sol Badguy: Dragon

I had a pun stuck in my head and felt it was too obvious to not make a thing

- Ken Masters: Golden Retriever

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- Bakuryu/Keji Ogami: Eastern Mole

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- Lars Alexandersson: African Lion

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Stories in this AU

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Thank you for checking out my Shrine and this silly AU page, and remember... play KOF!

- And Now the Mausks -

Anywho, have fun if you can : D