View source for Art of Fighting

{{short description|Video game series}}
{{other uses}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2022}}
{{Infobox video game series
|title=Art of Fighting
|image=Art of Fighting 1 cover.png
|caption=North American Neo Geo AES cover art for ''Art of Fighting''
|developer=[[SNK]]
|publisher=SNK
|creator= [[Hiroshi Matsumoto (game designer)|Hiroshi Matsumoto]]
|genre=[[Fighting game|Fighting]]
|platforms=[[Arcade game|Arcade]], [[Neo Geo (system)|Neo Geo AES]], [[Neo-Geo CD]], [[SNES]], [[Sega Mega Drive|Mega Drive/Genesis]], [[TurboGrafx-16#TurboGrafx-CD/CD-ROM²|PC Engine CD]], [[PlayStation 2]]
|first release version = ''[[Art of Fighting (video game)|Art of Fighting]]''
|first release date = 1992
|latest release version = ''Art of Fighting Anthology''
|latest release date = 2007
}}
{{nihongo|'''''Art of Fighting'''''|龍虎の拳|'''Ryūko no Ken'''|lit. "Dragon & Tiger Punch"|lead=yes}} is a [[fighting game]] series originally released for the [[Neo Geo (system)|Neo Geo]] platform in the early 1990s. It is the second fighting game franchise created by [[SNK]], following the ''[[Fatal Fury]]'' series, and is set in the same [[fictional universe]]. The original ''[[Art of Fighting (video game)|Art of Fighting]]'' was released in 1992, followed by two sequels: ''[[Art of Fighting 2]]'' in 1994 and ''[[Art of Fighting 3: The Path of the Warrior]]'' in 1996. A new ''Art of Fighting'' game is currently in development.
{{TOC limit|4}}
==Games==
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size: 90%"
|+ Titles in the ''Art of Fighting'' series
|-
! style="width:270px;"| English title
! Original platform
! Release date
! Ports
|-
| ''[[Art of Fighting (video game)|Art of Fighting]]''
| [[Arcade video game|Arcade]]
| {{nowrap|1992-09-24}}
| [[Arcade video game|Arcade]], [[Neo Geo AES]], [[Neo Geo CD]], [[TurboGrafx-16#Arcade Card|PC Engine Arcade CD-ROM²]], [[Sega Genesis]], [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System|SNES]]
|-
| ''[[Art of Fighting 2]]''
| Arcade
| 1994-02-03
| [[Arcade video game|Arcade]], [[Neo Geo AES]], [[Neo Geo CD]], [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System|SNES]]
|-
| ''[[Art of Fighting 3: The Path of the Warrior]]''
| Arcade
| 1996-03-12
| [[Arcade video game|Arcade]], [[Neo Geo AES]], [[Neo Geo CD]]
|-
|}
===''Art of Fighting'' (1992)===
{{main|Art of Fighting (video game)}}
Taking place in 1978, [[Ryo Sakazaki]] and [[Robert Garcia (Art of Fighting)|Robert Garcia]] set out to find Ryo's sister, [[Yuri Sakazaki|Yuri]], who has been kidnapped by Mr. Big. Mr. Big has taken the girl to entice Takuma Sakazaki, Ryo's father and originator of the fictional form of [[karate]] known as Kyokugen Karate ("Extreme style"), and because Ryo refused to work for Big. After they defeat Mr. Big, Ryo and Robert face the enigmatic Mr. Karate. ''Art of Fighting''{{'}}s story ends with a cliff-hanger; Yuri is about to disclose the true identity of Mr. Karate as their father Takuma.
Ryo and Robert are the only playable heroes in the single player story mode, although eight of the game's ten fighters are playable by default in the two player versus mode.<ref name="AOFAESmanual">''Art of Fighting'' user's manual (Neo Geo AES, US)</ref> Mr. Big and Mr. Karate can be played in the [[Neo Geo MVS]] (arcade) version by reaching their respective stages in the game then having a second player join in, and in the [[Neo Geo AES]] (console) version through the use of cheat codes.
''Art of Fighting''{{'}}s events are referenced often in the wider SNK universe; ''[[The King of Fighters '97]]'', for instance, parodies the events of the game in its ending.
In the United States, the ''RePlay'' arcade charts listed ''Art of Fighting'' as the top-grossing software conversion kit in [[1992 in video games|December 1992]].<ref>{{cite magazine |title=RePlay: The Players' Choice |magazine=RePlay |date=December 1992 |volume=18 |issue=3 |page=13 |url=https://archive.org/details/re-play-volume-18-issue-no.-3-december-1992-600DPI/RePlay%20-%20Volume%2018%2C%20Issue%20No.%203%20-%20December%201992/page/13}}</ref>
A [[Sharp X68000]] version of ''Art of Fighting'' was in development by [[Magical Company]] but it went unreleased for unknown reasons.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://archive.org/stream/OhX1990-1995/Oh%21X_1994-03#page/n26/mode/1up|title=The Softouch – Software Information: 新作情報 -- 龍虎の拳|magazine=[[:ja:Oh!X|Oh!X]]|issue=143|publisher=[[SB Creative|SoftBank Creative]]|date=March 1994|page=25|lang=ja}}</ref>
===''Art of Fighting 2'' (1994)===
{{main|Art of Fighting 2}}
===''Art of Fighting 3: The Path of the Warrior'' (1996)===
{{main|Art of Fighting 3: The Path of the Warrior}}
''Art of Fighting 3: The Path of the Warrior'' was the first game in the series (and the first SNK fighting game) to use [[motion capture]] for its animation,<ref>{{cite journal|title=Ready Yourself for Motion-Captured SNK Action!|journal=Maximum: The Video Game Magazine|issue=5 |publisher=[[Emap International Limited]]|date=April 1996|page=122}}</ref> often being noted as some of the best sprite-work SNK has produced. It features a new cast of characters with the exception of Ryo and Robert. Yuri Sakazaki is seen in the game, but only as a side character in Ryo and Robert's story mode.
The story switched focus from the Sakazakis to Robert Garcia. Robert disappears to search for an old childhood friend, Freia Lawrence, and he tracks her to Glasshill Valley, [[Mexico]]. Freia is wanted by the game's main antagonist, Wyler, to complete a powerful elixir that was created by his and Freia's fathers.
===Upcoming ''Art of Fighting'' game===
''[[The King of Fighters]]'' game designer Toyohisa Tanabe wanted to worked on a new ''Art of Fighting'' after playing its third installment with ''[[The King of Fighters '96]]'' engine but was not given permission.<ref>{{cite book |title=The King of Fighters: The Ultimate History |date=2022 |publisher=Bitmap Books |isbn=9781838019181 |page=501}}</ref>
At [[Evolution Championship Series|Evo 2024]], following similar revivals of the ''[[Samurai Shodown]]'' and ''[[Fatal Fury]]'' series, SNK announced they were developing a new entry in the ''Art of Fighting'' series, marking the series' first new entry in nearly 30 years.<ref>{{cite web | last=Romano | first=Sal | title=New Art of Fighting game and Samurai Shodown action RPG in development | website=Gematsu | date=July 20, 2024 | url=https://www.gematsu.com/2024/07/new-art-of-fighting-game-and-samurai-shodown-action-rpg-in-development | access-date=July 20, 2024}}</ref>
===Ports and compilations===
The original trilogy were all released for the Neo Geo MVS arcade system, Neo Geo AES home console, and Neo Geo CD. ''Art of Fighting'' was ported to the [[TurboGrafx-CD|PC Engine CD]], [[SNES]], and [[Sega Genesis|Sega Genesis/Mega Drive]], while ''Art of Fighting 2'' was also ported to Super Famicom. Many of these ports made minor changes to the gameplay, story, or graphics.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=International Outlook|magazine=[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]]|issue=53|publisher=EGM Media, LLC|date=December 1993|page=86}}</ref>
The Neo Geo trilogy was compiled in {{nihongo|''Art of Fighting Anthology''|龍虎の拳 ～天・地・人～|Ryuuko no Ken Tenchijin}} for the [[PlayStation 2]], while the original game was also included as part of ''[[SNK Arcade Classics Vol. 1]]'' and the [[NEOGEO Station]] service. The trilogy has also been digitally re-released via the [[Wii]] [[Virtual Console]] and the ''[[ACA Neo Geo]]'' series.
==Gameplay==
The ''Art of Fighting'' series follows the conventions of the time in the sense that the player faces a variety of opponents in best two-out-of-three matches. Each of the game's characters have a unique fighting style and set of special techniques. The player has two basic attacks—punch and kick—as well as a utility button that switches between punches, kicks, and throws. A fourth button is used for taunting. ''Art of Fighting''{{'}}s contribution to the genre was the inclusion of a "spirit gauge" underneath the character's life bar. When characters perform special techniques, their spirit gauge is depleted and their special attacks become weaker. Players can also drain their opponent's spirit gauge by taunting them.
The ''Art of Fighting'' series was also the first fighting series to allow players to perform a "super attack". In the original ''Art of Fighting'', the player's character can learn a super attack (dubbed the ''super death blow'') by completing one of the game's bonus rounds (this technique is available by default in the 3rd game). All three games also feature "[[Fighting game#Special attacks and combos|Desperation Attack]]s" that can only be performed when the player's health is low and the life bar is flashing.
The series also introduced graphical scaling into the fighting game genre: as the characters move towards each other, the camera zooms in to maximize the level of detail. Character sprites in ''Art of Fighting'' change as the fight progresses to become more bruised and cut as damage is taken.
==Plot==
{{main|Characters of the Art of Fighting series}}
The ''Art of Fighting'' series serves as a prequel to the ''[[Fatal Fury]]'' series, with the three games taking place between 1978 and 1980, over a decade before the events of ''[[Fatal Fury: King of Fighters]]''. The initial two games are set in South Town, the same setting as the ''Fatal Fury'' series, while the third takes place in the fictional Mexican town of Glasshill Valley.
Many characters from both ''Art of Fighting'' and ''Fatal Fury'' appear in ''[[The King of Fighters]]'' series, which is set in its own universe that ignores the continuity established in the ''Art of Fighting'' and ''Fatal Fury'' games so that the characters from both series could battle without having to age any of them.
==Reception and cultural impact==
Yuri has been well received by Japanese gamers, having been voted as the 19th favorite character in the 1997 character popularity poll on ''Neo Geo Freak'''s website.<ref name="gamest97">{{Cite book | year=1997 | editor=Gamest | title=Gamest Game Hero Collection 1997; issue 208 | page=1 | language=ja | publisher=Shinseisha }}</ref> In 1995, Japanese magazine ''Gamest'' ranked her as number seven in the list of the top characters of 1994.<ref name=gamest136>{{cite journal |last=Ishii |first=Zenji |author2=Pigu |date=January 1995 |title=第８回 ゲーメスト大賞 |journal=Gamest Magazine |issue=136 |page=40 |url=http://www.netlaputa.ne.jp/~dummy/gamest/magazine/gamest/v136.html#TOKUSYU |access-date=2008-12-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090304183330/http://www.netlaputa.ne.jp/~dummy/gamest/magazine/gamest/v136.html#TOKUSYU |archive-date=2009-03-04 |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2018, Yuri was voted as the tenth most popular [[Neo Geo]] character.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.famitsu.com/news/201807/05160468.html|title=NEOGEO mini（ネオジオミニ）発売記念 好きなキャラクター人気投票＆NEOGEO mini入ってほしかったゲームのアンケート結果を中間発表！ 1位はコイツで"オーケー！"|date=5 July 2018 |publisher=Famitsu |language=ja|access-date=July 29, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180705173649/https://www.famitsu.com/news/201807/05160468.html|archive-date=July 5, 2018|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> Tiago O. Frosi from Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul regarded Yuri as one of the most impactful female characters in fighting game history due to how she initially debuts as a damsel in distress only to become a playable character both in the sequel and SNK's crossover video games. She was compared with ''Street Fighter'' character [[Sakura Kasugano]] for having similar archetypes as well as an imitated fighting style from veteran fighters.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sbgames.org/sbgames2010/proceedings/culture/full/full5.pdf|title=As Rainhas da Luta: representações das mulheres karate-ka nos Jogos Digitais|publisher=Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul|accessdate=May 19, 2023}}</ref>
Gavin Jasper of ''[[Den of Geek]]'' described her as adding to her family's "wonderful comedic existence", but felt she was more at place there than in King of Fighters as part of the Women's Team. He added "She's not quite [[Sakura Kasugano|Sakura]] and she's not quite [[Dan Hibiki]], but she's fine for what she is," and praised her departure from a damsel in distress to a full character as the games progressed.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.denofgeek.com/us/games/king-of-fighters/258397/king-of-fighters-ranking-all-the-characters/page/0/2|title=King of Fighters: Ranking All the Characters|date=14 November 2016 |publisher=Den of Geek|access-date=September 4, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180702205121/http://www.denofgeek.com/us/games/king-of-fighters/258397/king-of-fighters-ranking-all-the-characters/page/0/2|archive-date=July 2, 2018|url-status=live|last=Jasper|first=Gavin}}</ref>
==In other media==
===Video games===
Some of the ''Art of Fighting'' cast have continued appearing in other SNK fighting games since the last game in the ''Art of Fighting'' series was released. In the same way that Geese Howard appears as a secret boss in ''Art of Fighting 2'', Ryo Sakazaki appears as a secret boss in ''[[Fatal Fury Special]]'' and ''[[Fatal Fury: Wild Ambition]]''. Unlike the battle against Geese in ''Art of Fighting 2'', the battles against Ryo in both games are depicted as "dream matches" and are not canon to either series' storyline.
As a result of these crossover appearances between the two franchises, SNK produced ''[[The King of Fighters]]'' series, pitting characters from both series against each other. The series eschews the continuity of the ''Art of Fighting'' and ''Fatal Fury'' games for the purpose of having the ''Art of Fighting'' cast fight against everyone else without aging them. Ryo, Robert, Yuri, and King were introduced in the first installment and have appeared in nearly every entry, with Takuma and Kasumi frequently appearing as well. Eiji and Mr. Big also appear as playable characters in specific entries.
Characters from the series have also appeared in the ''[[SNK vs. Capcom]]'' series and in ''[[NeoGeo Battle Coliseum]]''. [[Capcom]]'s ''[[Capcom vs. SNK: Millennium Fight 2000]]'' features Ryo, Yuri, and King while ''[[Capcom vs. SNK 2]]'' adds [[Ryuhaku Todoh]] to the lineup. ''[[SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos]]'' features Ryo, Kasumi, and Takuma under his Mr. Karate guise. ''[[NeoGeo Battle Coliseum]]'' features Lee Pai Long, Mr. Big and an aged Robert Garcia along with the older Ryo Sakazaki from ''[[Buriki One]]''. In ''[[KOF: Maximum Impact 2]]'', Ryuhaku Todoh drives the truck in one of the extra games.
The ''[[Street Fighter]]'' character [[Dan Hibiki]] is a parody of Ryo Sakazaki and Robert Garcia.
In ''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]'', some elements from the ''Art of Fighting'' series appear as [[downloadable content]]; specifically, two music tracks from the series appear (and can be played on the King of Fighters Stadium stage), Ryo Sakazaki makes three cameos in the game (as a background character in King of Fighters Stadium, as a spirit, and as the basis for a [[Mii]] costume), and Yuri Sakazaki and King both have background cameos in King of Fighters Stadium.
===Film===
A Japanese animated television film, {{nihongo|'''''Art of Fighting'''''|バトルスピリッツ 龍虎の拳|Battle Spirits Ryūko no Ken}}, was created and directed by [[Hiroshi Fukutomi]], animated by [[Studio Comet]] and produced by [[Nihon Ad Systems|NAS]]. It was the third animated co-production between [[SNK]] and NAS, following ''[[Fatal Fury: Legend of the Hungry Wolf]]'' and ''[[Fatal Fury 2: The New Battle]]''. The special was produced by Kenji Shimizu and Yoshiro Kataoka, and features a script by Nobuaki Kishima and character designs by Kazunori Iwakura. The film follows follows Ryo and Robert, who must rescue Yuri from Mr. Big after he kidnaps her to learn the whereabouts of a valuable diamond. The film aired on [[Fuji TV]] on December 23, 1993, and received an English-language release from [[Central Park Media|US Manga Corps]] in 1997.
The ''Art of Fighting'' film was negatively received by several western publications. It was billed as stupid, idiotic and plodding,<ref name="Animejump">[http://www.animejump.com/index.php?module=prodreviews&func=showcontent&id=299 Review by Anime Jump] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081204054227/http://www.animejump.com/index.php?module=prodreviews&func=showcontent&id=299 |date=4 December 2008 }}</ref> and compared to a Saturday morning cartoon.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://animeworld.com/reviews/artoffighting.html | title=Art of Fighting – Anime Review | publisher=Animeworld | date=28 October 2018 | access-date=6 December 2018 }}</ref><ref name="THEM">[http://www.themanime.org/viewreview.php?id=45 Review by THEM Anime]</ref> It was said it had "choppy animation, illogical perspectives, uninspired art, badly choreographed fight scenes, and most of all horrible voice acting",<ref name="Animejump"/> and none of the interest of the video game or its sequels translate into the anime.<ref>[http://www.animeondvd.com/reviews2/disc_reviews/2179.php Review by Anime on DVD] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080607133629/http://www.animeondvd.com/reviews2/disc_reviews/2179.php |date=7 June 2008 }}</ref> The film gathered a 14% rating at Meta Anime Rviews,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.animecritic.com/_metareview/viewtitle.php?aid=256 |title=Reviews at Animecritic |access-date=16 January 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081204003842/http://www.animecritic.com/_metareview/viewtitle.php?aid=256 |archive-date=4 December 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref> placing it in the bottom 3% of the reviewed titles.
The 2010 live-action film ''[[The King of Fighters (film)|The King of Fighters]]'' features an appearance by Mr. Big, played by [[Sam Hargrave]]. He is the only character from the ''Art of Fighting'' series to appear in the film.
==See also==
* [[List of The King of Fighters characters]]
* [[Characters of the Fatal Fury series]]
* [[List of fighting games]]
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
{{Portalbar|Japan|United States|Video games|Anime and manga|Speculative fiction|Martial arts|1990s}}
* [http://game.snkplaymore.co.jp/official/online/ryuko/ ''Ryuko no Ken -Ten Chi Jin-''] at [[SNK Playmore]]
* [http://game.snkplaymore.co.jp/official/nbc/museum/ryuko/ ''Ryuko no Ken series''] at NBC Museum of [[SNK Playmore]]
* {{KLOV game|id=6929}}
* {{KLOV game|id=6930|name=Art of Fighting 2}}
* {{KLOV game|id=6931|name=Art of Fighting 3}}
* {{anime News Network|anime|516}}
{{SNK}}
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