The character reveals continue for The King of Fighters following a week-long hiatus from SNK due to the gameplay trailer of Samurai Shodown's latest DLC character, Hibiki Takane. Hibiki was the latest guest character to make an appearance, originating from The Last Blade series, making her first fighting game appearance in two decades following Capcom vs SNK 2.
A trio of fighters in The King of Fighters has also made their comeback appearance in the series, appearing for the first time in almost 19 years with the release of The King of Fighters 2002. Starting with Yashiro and almost immediately following Shermie's trailer, Chris was expected to make a return with many players wondering how SNK would handle his design for a modern game engine.
With the reveal of Chris in the latest King of Fighters 15 trailer, his evasive hit-and-run playstyle combined with his outwardly confident appearance rekindled the excitement for many of his fans who used him competitively, especially in '98 and '02 where he was often feared in the right hands. Sporting a simple, true-to-self attire, his appearance in King of Fighters 15 is modest compared to his other teammate Shermie.
In the original King of Fighters 97, Chris, Yashiro, and Shermie formed the rock band CYS and entered the tournament due to Yashiro's ongoing grudge against Iori Yagami, who is a part of a rival band responsible for stealing their thunder. In truth, they held traces of the Orochi blood and, once activated, swore loyalty to Orochi, the main antagonist of '97.
Following their defeat and deaths at the conclusion of '97, the concluding events of King of Fighters 14 would release their souls to a capacity that isn't yet stated in the King of Fighters 15 story. Regardless of their role in the upcoming story, the fan-favorite Team Orochi returns for the first time in 19 years, much to the joy of many veteran King of Fighters players.
The King of Fighters 15 will release sometime in 2021.