It is also notable that none of the Hero Team compositions through Ash's Tales of Ash KOF story arc won a King of Fighters tournament. While Ash's intentions were eventually revealed to be pure, his role in the story placed him in conflict against both hero and villain. KOF 2003 changed the dynamic of the Hero Team with the introduction of Ash Crimson.
For KOF '99 through 2001's NESTS Saga, K' and Maxima remained the two constants of the Hero Team. KOF '99 introduced an all-new Hero Team led by K' (K-Dash), with fellow newcomer Maxima as his side. While now officially Team Japan again, Kyo's team was renamed the Hero Team for KOF '95 through '98, due to Kyo's role in the story. The Hero Team tends to include a newcomer to the series, introduced at the start of the story arc as having an important tie to the current plotline. Who Is The Hero Team In The King of Fighters? While not always the KOF tournament's winning team, the Hero Team is usually the one most important to the current story direction. The team format is often justified within that story setup, as the final villains are usually too powerful for one lone character to defeat. In general, each The King of Fighters game's plot involves the main team either confronting a villain or having some other sort of tie to the overall story. Related: SNK Once Tested Goku & Ryu In King Of Fighters This method of storytelling has resulted in some teams standing out above the others in their narrative importance. As the focus of the story deviated from one lead character to the leading team, the franchise's plot threads began to involve more characters. After the first game, the main narrative of KOF found itself intrinsically tied to the teams competing in each tournament. The first game in the KOF franchise has been treated as a prologue, with its loose ties to a following story arc known as the Orochi Saga. Among the newcomers was mascot character Kyo Kusanagi's Team Japan, which later came to be known as the Hero Team and has appeared in some form in most KOF games - and it's making a return in the upcoming The King of Fighters 15.
ASH KOF 13 SERIES