In this installment of the The King Of Fighters series. The character roster has received a major shake-up. For the first time ever, fan favorites Mai Shiranui, Leona Heidern, Robert Garcia and Joe Higashi have been dropped from the roster. The Princess of Punch team franchise has been dissolved. Eiji returns after being absent since KOF 95, the ever popular Duck King makes his first real appearance in the series, and Bonne Jenet crosses over from "Garou - Mark of the Wolves". 3 new characters have been introduced to the series, Oswald, Elisabeth, and Momoko. Elisabeth is the heir of a noble French family, Oswald is a fighter from Ireland who utilizes cards as his weapons. Momoko is a young capoeira fighter from Japan accompanying Athena Asamiya and Sie Kensou on the Psycho Soldier team.