Top 10 Sub-Bosses In The King Of Fighters Series 

*"Guilty Gear/Blazblue is the hardest fighting game franchisee"* Me: *Laughs in KOF Boss*

Me before video: why there are 2 chizurus on the thumbnail? Me after video: oh... ok...

Shion is probably my favorite sub-boss. He's just...a boss that breaks so many boundaries in terms of what you expect from him. He's of relatively small stature, standing at 5'2". He's extremely thin and frail. His neutral stance is not very expressive at all despite wielding a spear. My first reaction, given my experience in previous games and the fact that I used Gato, was that of surprise. I get why he uses the spear, he's so small. Cue the moment he uses his super where he leaps into the air and breaks falling stone debris with a single *kick*. Then proceeds to assail you with all manner of Wu Shu weaponry before absolutely devastating you with bare-handed attacks of blinding speed. And that theme of his is just intense! Shion is truly a memorable sub-boss who received such pitifully little screentime. Alongside Jhun, Gato, Malin, and Silber, I definitely want to see Shion's design revisited. It's going to be a tall order though. As you mentioned, Shion's animations were absolutely beautiful. It's going to be hard to bring Shion back with the same level of impact. Not only did Shion animate extremely well, his weapons animated incredibly on its 2-dimensional medium. That spear, for example, appeared so realistic due to how flexible the handle was and how responsive the red tassle was to Shion's movements. It's going to be pretty hard to achieve that fluid effect with 3-d graphics.

Something to note about the '97 Orochi Team. Their move sets are mirror complements to the Japan Hero Team. Chris fights like Kyo, Shermie has abilities similar to Benimaru and Seishiro is a grappler like Daimon.

Maximum Impact was a weird time for KOF.

Yo I share the same idea about Saiki. When he grabs people, it takes so much time for him to finish. Great video. Always adding a twist to things. Unique. I get to your videos as soon as they drop. Thanks for this.

Happy someone gave Luise some love in this list. "The ancestor of Ash Crimson was presented as an awful individual with a punchable face." Truer words cannot be more accurate about Saiki. Still can't forgive him for what happened to Mukai in XIII.

Good list! But there's something I should say about KOF 2000's Kula Boss. See, she's technically both a Mid-Boss AND a Sub-Boss. Depending on how well you play and how many Ability Points you have, you may fight Kula after 3-4 fights (a Mid-Boss) or you may fight her JUST before you fight (Clone) Zero (a Sub-Boss). She has a bit of a strange requirement though. For Default Teams, you need at least 240 points. For the Benimaru Team, you need at least 220 points. Finally, for an Edit Team, you need at least 300 points BUT you *cannot* have Kula on your team. Now, I can understand why you need different points between Default Teams and Edit Teams. With the Edit team, you can likely pick strong characters and thus get to Kula easily, so the Devs likely wanted to make it a little harder to fight her if you choose this... But I have no idea why Benimaru's Team has a 20 point deduction for being able to fight Kula. lol It's not all that bad, to be honest. Fighting Kula is always easy and you have multiple chances to fight her. It just has to be before you fight the Final Boss.

Orochi Yashiro is my favorite out of the three, His grabs are so satisfying to land

Krauser is underrated as a boss visually, like he just radiates raw power and dignity in a way that's a really nice contrast with Geese who gives off more of a vibe of mastery, and skill imo.

I would like a Lore about ash or Rugal/Adelheid

I like the battle against Luise in KOF Maximum Impact 2 She is probably one of the strongest female fighters in KOF. The music what plays during the fight is one of my favorites too. I would like to see Luise in KOF XV The Maximum Impact series is really underrated.

My ranking: #1. Saisyu Bonus point for being the first one, to begin with. Plus what a shock it was to discover that Kyo had a badass father who does everything Kyo does... but 100x cooler! Really wish Saisyu could come back. He was one of the funniest characters to play in 98UM! #2. Antonov Love his look, love his attacks, love his personnality. He screams "I'm the freakin" boss" while not being too caricatural. Also it's nice to have a boss who isn't a super dark villain, for once. Plus as you said, after the bunch of ultra feminine new characters introduced in the Ash era, it was nice to go back to some manly attitude. Love Antonov, hope he'll stick around! #3. Orochi Team What to say that you haven't said already? Iconic team, iconic stage(s), iconic fight. #4. Luise Meyrink Criminally underrated, as much of the Maximum Impact characters. She's one of the most beautiful KOF women, both to look at and to witness in action. Her attacks are the perfect reflect of her beauty and elegance. And she really brought something interesting to the Story mode. #5. '96 Boss Team Although I'm tired of Geese, I cannot resist the badassness of a team that includes the two evil brothers. Plus Krauser and Mr.Big are so cool I can't put this team lower. #6. Shion Not that great of a character, but yeah, his fighting style (or should we say "styleS"?) is both beautiful and incredibly fun! #7. Original Zero Decent villain. #8. Shizuru Works better as a regular character #9. Saiki A bit too cheap. #10. Maki Well... Shizuru again.

I don't know if he counts, but I really, really like Kusanagi (the red eyed clone of Kyo with a darker skin and different voice actor), I don't know why, maybe it's because I like evil versions of main protagonist better than their original counterparts (like I do with Jin from Tekken and Ryu from Street Fighter), maybe it's his ambiguous and mysterious backstory, that seemed to have been retconned, maybe it's his attitude and references to the Akira movie, maybe it's all of them combined, but if there's any character I'd want to see return, it's him, just for his gameplay alone, as he's my favorite version of Kyo playstyle-wise, who I usually main anyways, not to mention seeing his interactions with Kyo and the rest of the cast would be fascinating to say the least.

The Orochi team was really awesome, good video as always =)

I think a lore video on the story of Garou/brief history of some of its characters would be a good idea

Luise: a Touhou character in KoF Chizuru is my personal favorite though. Badass cool "mix'and'match both fighting and magic" lady is a character trait I always welcome, so Luise, Shermie, and Chizuru are all at the top to me. Although I wonder what Goenitz's stage would've looked like if it was in the same location as the Orochi team's.

I knew from the start it was the Orochi Team, that was out of blue in the game and surprised me at the arcade when I first played KOF97, I personally hate/love their moveset. I love using them but I hate them as sub bosses because of their moveset.

Didn't expect to see Luise Meyrink on this list but it's good to see Maximum impact being mentioned I still think Snk should bring her and the Meira brothers back plus a few others

Great ending! It has been so long since I've heard that Orochi Team theme song i actually got chills lol. I remember how surprised my friends and I were when that team suddenly came back as the sub-bosses. Me especially since i had mastered basic Yashiro, but didn't know i could access his alt form by holding down the button. Plus their moveset was awesome! I would love to see Shione in a new game, and maybe he can have a rivalry with Billy Kane or other weapon users? Looks forward to seeing the Ikari Warriors videos Shoryu. Merry Christmas!

Every release of ur KOF lore is also consider as a work of art. Bcoz of the visuals and accurate references.

Agree completely! The Orochi trio is also in my top 5 faves. Only Orochi himself tops them in my list!

Nice video, totally agree, shion would be a cool character in samsho.

Good job! Keep doing the KOF lore series, I really love how detailed your lore is.

Kept waiting for Adelheid. Disappointed.

Its obvious that shion is a woman but snk wanted to be hip and said its a dud.C'mon look at shions hips and how pronounced they are,a womans hips is always prevalent in their figure.Men have thighs but not hips and shion has hips.

I really hope they bring the Orochi team back in 15(mainly cause I wanna play Shermie again)

Shion. I have been hoping they would bring back shion. Def deserves more airtime.

Antonov is basically Mr. Satan. So that's reason enough to be #1.

Shion is my pick. The animations are so sick and his fighting style actually exists.

Awesome I love the Orochi team too, waiting for the mid-bosses video.

Yh i think shion would fit

Hate luise meyrink. Don't like the maximum inpact characters in general. I think alba is decent though

Two Chizaru's? This just makes me want a sacred treasures team. Also Antonov for a team please. Also Saiki sucks

Merry Christmas ShoryuGame!

Awesome top 10

Cool video! Also, for the next character video... The Story of Joe Higashi!

"She is a Alien". Hahaha nice one.

Real Zero AI can be exploited by K9999 lmao. Jump Drill and basic attack always works on him due Real Zeros attacks having a deley before hitbox registers thus very easy to hit and exploit thats asuming you cam get him backed into a corner.

Yo Sho, I would like to see a lore video on Heidern. He's enigmatic, but is a major figure in the background of the games' stories. Plus, it's fitting to examine him after Ralf and Clark.

This channel its amazing ^w^

Orochi Team hands down!

5:50 I hate this guy 5:58 "I hate this guy." Well I guess everyone can agree that we all hate Saiki. Stupid command grab breaks the pace more than Krizalid's counter. And you forgot to mention his most humiliating attack where he traps you in black goo and then picks up and throws a rock at you. A ROCK. Fortunately Maxima is one of my mains in XIII, and he can cheese Saiki by command grabbing him over and over. I loved the subtle jokes throughout the video like Chizuru being the weaker sister, but having an unforgiving AI. The best one was the Orochi team where you say that they are challenging but fair which is rare in the series lol. I personally think that Shion should have been in the top 3 in terms of memorability. Say what you want about his gender and looks, but you cannot deny that he is the most well-animated character in the series down to his walking animation. No one in KoF XIII even comes close to that much detail. Not to mention the Spear/Rope-Dart/Bare-handed fighting style was also unique for him. I want him back. Either revive him into KoF XV, or say that Magaki pulled him into the Samurai Shodown universe. Bring him back with the same level of animation if not more than what he had in XI. Ikari Warriors coming soon yay! As for the next character...Might as well finish the rest of the Ikari team with Heidern. But if you're planning to do the midboss video soon, then I would prioritize the Bernstein family next only because I'm an Adelheid fanboy.

I totally agree with the list! Amazing job! :D

Oh can you do : Andy Bogard Robert Garcia Mai Shiranui Blue Mary

I hate the Orochi Team

If this was a list about snk in general then musashi from last blade would make it for sure

My friend everything you seem to do is made of gold. How you always seem to help me learn something new ,every time I see a video of yours. Thank you so much keep up the great work

If u use mr.karate, saiki is the easiest sub bosses in kof series, just spam the shoran kyaku.

orochi team is best sub boss. and please do Clark ralf, both are very interesting characters.

I freaking love The Orochi Team and have wall scrolls of them hanging up. Yup, I love all three of them that much. They each have very unique fighting styles, and when they switch to Orochi Mode, call it quits because they will kill you. Plus let's face it - the ladies LOVE Yashiro (myself included) and the guys LOVE Shermie (you should see some of the posts made from men about her on Social Media good grief).... But dude...when you got to Saiki and said "I REALLY HATE THIS GUY!!!!" I laughed so hard because you really meant that 4 real 😂😂😂. Enjoyed the video, your expert comments, and the fact that CYS was #1. Yashiro!!!!!!😘🥰😘

part of me REALLY wants to believe that the New Faces Team really are that friendly, but were affected by Orochi's influence thus turning them evil

The oroichi team is hear to beat so thay are my fabarat

Orochi team is hella great and my favorite team after looking into them for a while! Also I wanna see you do a KoF lore video on Kula Diamond!

Chizuru, and Antonov are my favorite sub-bosses of the series.

Shion is very fit for samurai showdown like geralt of rivia for soul calibur. And i'm not kidding.

Orochi team N 1

I like the way how funny Saiki Spam his skills 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Original zero is my favorite because of his elegant personally it's a shame he's the most underrated sub boss but he earned my respect as the best Oh and tell me what you think about original zero

I love your videos! My two favourites Kofs are on top with their subosses. I wonder, if you had to make the list in terms of the strongest, how would that been? Are Shion and Saiki the strongest ones?

"I HATE THIS GUY" Pure honesty about Saiki 😂

cant wait for kof 15

Favorites: Original Zero, New Faces Team, Saiki, Maki, Bosses Team (honorific mention: Orochi Iori)/ Don't Like: Xion.

Another great vid. No issue at all with the order. Punk ass Chris is Orochi?... I still say that everytime I think about KOF '97. Saisyu and Chizuru were tough sub bosses.

Whoa, time out, not counting KOF13 Shion's animation is cool but i would put Orochi Shermie and Jhun from kof99 above his.

You should do the list in terms of difficulty and maybe Final Boss list in terms of how you did this list as your personal favorites. I’d like to see some SamSho character lores. Lol no votes on Rugal cause people are tired of getting spammed by Genocide Cutters. But I think you should do vids on Wolfgang Krauser, Heidern, Goenitz, Rugal Bernstein, Rock Howard, Karn R Heinlein.

Krauser: I'll Chisel your Gravestone, Sleep well!

I want another kof unlimited match lol

Personally, in the order of favorability rather than memorability: #10 Saiki I could literally give this dude an eleventh spot in a top 10 list. He disgusts me. I guess we are supposed to hate him since he's a villain, so SNK did a good job on that, but I still despise the character. #9 Luise I literally don't know a thing about her, so the only character I can afford to put her above is Saiki. Still, I kinda like this woman regardless. #8 Shion Trap or not, dude's got some sick moves. Oh, and he killed Magaki. That's worth bonus points in my book. #7 Maki She was a very cool Nee-sama to Chizuru, but alas, that's the extent of what we know about her. Still, she must be alive as an illusion since Kusanagi is. Further characterisation potential? #6 Saisyu Man got memey voice, is basically a more badass and level-headed Kyo and can still kick ass despite his age. Also, going alone to challenge freaking Rugal. That's ballsy. #5 The Orochi Team Probably because I'm not an OG KoF fan, I don't really share the extent of fandom a lot of people have for them. Still, they have an epic theme in '97, cool backstory and characterisation and actual depth to them. Not to mention Shermie when she's not hellbent on wiping out humanity. #4 Bosses team Krauser and Geese are the main attractions here. Geese is one of the most charismatic villains in KoF along with Rugal, and Krauser doesn't lack in this regard either, sprinkling some Wicked Cultured/Cultured Badass on top of it. Imagine getting your ass handed to you in a brutal fashion while a whole damn orchestra is playing Mozart. Yeah, that's how a fight against him goes. Also as far as I know, Krauser is a chill nice man outside of battle, and this kind of third dimension is always welcome. #3 Antonov Manly man with a heart of gold, you just love to see it. Also him using nothing but bare hands and raw strength is a refreshing change-up from all the magic wielders introduced before him. Graceful loser and just overall man of good sportsmanship. #2 Chizuru Shoryu basically said everything there is to say about this amazing woman. Only topped (among "legal" canon characters) by Mature in terms of waifu potential and one of the most deeply characterised female characters in the franchise. Sucks that we never saw her in action after 2003, but that's what XV is for, am I right? #1 Original Zero I'm a huge sucker for noble anti-villains. Enter Original Zero: proud, loyal, badass, honest to goodness and willing to put his life on the line for his cause. Instafandom like no tomorrow. And he's got *raising children* listed as his hobby. He's basically one of the reasons I'm so excited for XV. Imagine a new NESTS team of Original Zero, Krizalid and Nameless aiming to rebuild NESTS into something better than it was and having to oppose Igniz and Clone Zero along the way. Just shut up and take my money.

Antonov: The only KOF host who wasn't secretly evil or had ulterior motives for hosting the event. He just wants to bust some heads.

Wait, hold on...didn't Benimaru and Daimon fight Saisyu because Kyo was still in shock after seeing him? And my personal fav sub-boss is Saisyu. As for a video on a character...how about King Leo?

Chizuru was my personal favorite sub boss.

My subbosses favorite is MAKI KAGURA (KOF 2003) VERY FAST,, STRONGEST,, BADASS,, AND FULL POWER...

It's not obvious, but Saiki uses his time stop powers when he grabs you (the background becomes monochromatic). To the grabbed opponent he was simply grabbed and punched one time. He also didn't transform originally. He got that ability from Magaki (after the corpse was stolen in KOF XI). Same with the earth abilities he exhibited after killing Mukai.

If you played when you were like 6 to 8 years old like me, then nothing beats 94 Rugal & 95 Saisyu. The music alone was scary enough. At 96 is when KOF started to soften so much no boss has delivered any pressure, maybe a little from Krizalid.

Original Zero is the hardest sub boss in KOF

I was just talking about KoF ect last night and soo glad this vid is a more detailed version of some of the stuff I was speaking about. "Here's a tip about Shion" lol The theme for the new faces is super memorable since it's like every other track in 2002. Since you're talking about the Ikari Warriors (they have their own game) how about talking a bit more about Mai Shiranui or the USA team who get very little shine?

Saiki you're my man in the sub boss His moves is just nefarious and nightmareful (throw black sludge, stone and punch you like filth). And his spite about human make him more menacing. Otherwise Original Zero, Antonov and reverse (yup i come from future) are monstruous too

Came to support the channel. And Metal Slug team is the best fighter.

Aww man I just got kof 2006 it’s called Kof maximum impact 2 outside North America I really like ninon bearth she’s pretty cool I was blown away by how good the gameplay is

I NEVER beat original Zero back then. Fuck his cape!

Saiki is really hard but I love to fight vs him. I enjoy much more a fight with him tan Shion. And Maki is more irritant to me.

I wouldn't say Saiki is a sub boss. He just isn't the last. The same for original Zero

SHORYUGAME:THE OROCHI TEAM! *again* ME:.......i hate you

No. Not Shion in Samurai 2019. Someone from the forgotten weapon fighting game Last Blade (also by SNK) should be guest instead.

Chizuru(KOF96) has the worst ai which sucks because she is one of my favorites. Not to fight but everything else about her. Saiki is the most boring one to fight. Kyos dad is one of the hardest and is brutal.

KoF XI sub boss was like wtf... Bridget vibes from Guilty Gear mix with Billy Kane 🤣

hey bro there is a an easy exploit route to beating true saiki just go near him and whiff he will use his tar shield leaving himself open to any attack use it again and again and kill him

Please make videos of fighters from King of fighters maximum impact 2 like Alba meira Louise mayerink lien nivell tell about those fighters

4:21 I'm not going to lie.. I love the femboys ლ⁠(⁠^⁠o⁠^⁠ლ⁠)❤

God Original Zero was by far my hated Boss of KOF like hated his Talon attacks and his cheap movelist

Hardest : Zero Easiest : Krizalid Coat Version Most Annoying : Chizuru Sub Boss and Saisyu

In the original KOF99 wasnt the original Kyo a sub boss? I forget

Im a pro in king of fighters 1997 and 1998 and 1999 and 2000 and 2001 and 2002 and 2003 and 2004 and also 2005 im 25 years and still playing but to bad i live in algeria so i cant do compititions hear i wich i was living in some place els ooh well this is haw god wented and this is haw i live

I always considered The New Heros a sort of Sub Boss in 03 but that's probably just me

I don't hate the idea if shion would one day guest appear in SamSho but how many players outside of kof could guess what game shion appeared in the first try? , I also did like orochi Team ost

I like the effeminate 😁

👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

Antonov remind me more Super Macho Man from Puncho Out but instead of being a prick he is a nice guy

Yep, orochi team is the coolest team. And yeah the early 2000s was the season of androgyny.