King of Fighters XV Season 1 is nearing its end, with Team Orochi (alternate versions of Yashiro, Shermie, and Chris) already available. Then, originally planned for KOF ’95, Team Samurai Shodown will finally appear in Autumn 2022. In 95, it was going to have Haohmaru, Nakoruru, and Galford. But in 2022, Galford’s been replaced with Samurai Shodown 2019’s Darli Dagger.

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SNK also said there would be a Season 2, with Shingo Yabuki and Kim Kaphwan coming back. However, they won’t be alone. They’re bound to be in their own teams, followed by two more. For now, it can only be speculated who they’ll be. So, here’s a list of likely contenders, fan favorites, and long-shots that may appear in King of Fighters XV Season 2.

7 Team Protégé: Shingo, Saisyu, Daimon

KOF XV S2 Teams- Shingo Saisyu Goro

Shingo is confirmed to be on his way, but who is he going to be joined by? The cutscenes showed him sticking with Kyo’s father Saisyu, as he’s been learning under the elder Kusanagi since the end of KOF 2001. So, having the two team up together is likely. Shingo hasn’t been playable in a mainline KOF game since KOF XI, and Saisyu’s only appeared in KOF ’95 & ’98. They’d essentially be new characters for most players.

But who would join them? Goro Daimon seems likely, as he’s close to Shingo and Daimon and was in KOF XIV. If SNK wanted to stick with flame users, they’d have to get really obscure and bring out Sōji or Aoi, Kyo’s cousins from the PS1 visual novel King of Fighters: Kyo. Though, in terms of likelihood, Shingo will either fight with his beefy mentors or perhaps partner with fellow novices like KOF ‘96’s Kasumi Todoh, Garou’s Hokutomaru, or the previous game’s Alice Nakata.

6 Team Korean Justice: Kim, Gang-Il, May Lee

KOF XV S2 Teams- Kim Gang Il May Lee

Kim Kaphwan has been part of the default KOF roster since the original game in 1994. So, it was more surprising to see him miss out and be relegated to Season 2 of DLC. Still, as SNK’s premier Tae Kwon Do fighter, all that remains to be seen is who he partners up with. Chang and Choi would be the classic option, but they’re not particularly popular characters, and they were last seen hanging out with the maligned Xanadu.

He had some good chemistry with his old master Gang-Il, who was more carefree and fun-loving than his strait-laced student. Kim’s obsession with justice would clash with his interest in beer and women. Throw in May Lee, Kim’s tokusatsu-esque student from KOF 2001, and he may be driven to the edge. Plus, while Gang-Il’s moves are dry, and Kim’s kicks are standard, May Lee’s Kamen Rider-inspired supers and stances would give them more pizzazz.

5 Team Hakkesshu: Goenitz, Vice, Mature

KOF XV S2 Teams- Goenitz Vice Mature

Vice and Mature fit Iori like a glove when they were introduced as playable characters back in KOF ’96. Then, he killed them, and they were kept as a ‘dream match’ team until they got better in KOF XIII. These lethal ladies are quite popular, with Mature slashing through her opponents while Vice slams them with unabated bloodlust. However, since Iori’s in a team with Kyo and Chizuru, they need a new person to complete the trio.

Related: The King of Fighters: The Orochi Saga, Explained

They could literally get a new character, but there is another Orochi character unaccounted for. Since KOF XV brought Omega Rugal as a special boss, they could bring back Goenitz too. He’s one of the Four Heavenly Kings of Orochi, alongside Yashiro & friends, and the strongest as one of KOF’s most notorious bosses. He’s been toned down to be a fair, playable character before, like in SVC: SNK Vs Capcom Chaos. So, he could lead his fellow Orochi members in Vice and Mature and be the next Boss Challenge after his old giant German cohort.

4 Team Anti-Ash: Oswald, Duo Lon, Shen Woo

KOF XV S2 Teams- Oswald Shen Woo Duo Lon

Ash Crimson got to return, joining forces with his old friend Elisabeth and the foul-mouthed edgelord Kukri. Though, what happened to his other buddies? His old teammates Shen Woo and Duo Lon turn up in cutscenes, and KOF XIV had Oswald as a DLC character. But what are they doing there when they should be here?

Shen Woo and Duo Lon should be teaming up, with the former looking for Ash and the latter wondering what’s going on with Verse. While Oswald could be at home in a team with Hein and Najd as special agents, he has history with Shen Woo and Ash from their team in KOF XI. They contrast well with each other too, with Shen being a smash-mouth brawler, Duo Lon a tricky combo-builder, and Oswald a chain-linking card-slinger. Together or apart, they’d be a bundle of fun to play as.

3 Team South America: Zarina, Nelson, Bandeiras

KOF XV S2 Teams- Zarina Nelson Bandeiras

Despite being introduced in KOF XIV, there’s no sign of Team South America in KOF XV thus far. Nelson’s robotic arm seemed to suggest the return of a certain organization with ties to Maxima and K’. Zarina was one of SNK’s better Capoeiristas, being less awkward than KOF XI’s Momoko, more familiar than Fatal Fury’s Bob Wilson and Richard Meyer, and less dumb looking than Maximum Impact’s Soirée Melba.

But the highlight of that team was Bandeiras Hattori, the master of Brazilian Ninjutsu (as opposed to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu) and Weeb Extraordinaire. He was funny in that regard, yet he wasn’t a pure joke character either. His skills were slick and quick enough to match other ninja characters like Mai and Andy. If he doesn’t turn up with his boxing and dancing buddies, perhaps he could form a kooky, comedy ninja clan with Art of Fighting’s Eiji Kisaragi and Hokutomaru.

2 Team Metal Slug: Marco, Tarma, Fio

KOF XV S2 Teams- Marco Tarma Fio

SNK’s produced a lot of series over the years, but eventually, they focused on the ones that kept them afloat during their messier years. KOF was one of them, and the other was Metal Slug. Originally made by Nazca Corporation, a dev team consisting largely of ex-IREM staff, the shooter became a big hit. It had all the pyrotechnic joy a shooter could bring, but it also had beautiful animation, a quirky sense of humor, and a narrator on par with Terry Bogard with odd speech patterns ("ROCKET LAWNCHAIR!")

Related: Things You Didn't Know About the Metal Slug Franchise

KOF made its name in turning non-fighters into fighters. Athena Asamiya and Sie Kensou were platform stars in Psycho Soldier before KOF ’94. The USA Sports Team represented SNK’s boxing, basketball, and football sims. Ralf and Clark started off as shooter protagonists before becoming fighters. So, why not do the same for Metal Slug leads Marco, Tarma, and Fio? It wouldn’t be Marco and Fio’s first fighter, having previously appeared in Neo Geo Battle Coliseum and Maximum Impact 2, respectively. So, it’d make for a fun crossover on par with Team Samurai Shodown. Unless…

1 Team Street Fighter: Ryu, Luke, Chun Li

KOF XV S2 Teams- Ryu Luke Chun Li

SNK Producer Yasuyuki Oda caused a ripple of excitement when he said an SNK Vs Capcom game was “something that I think everybody on all sides, in both parties, are interested in making a reality.” Recently, the two approved a re-release of the Neo-Geo Pocket Color game SNK vs Capcom: Match of the Millennium, and the mobile game KOF: All Star had characters from Street Fighter 5 appearing in it.

Oda also said an SNK & Capcom collaboration was “definitely in the future,” but in what way? Would there be a Capcom Vs SNK 3? An SNK Vs Capcom Chaos 2? Or would the two make cameos in the other’s games? If KOF XV got a Team Street Fighter, chances are it would promote Street Fighter 6 with its top man Ryu, top girl Chun Li, and new hero Luke turning up. Still, all fans have is words for now. Whatever form this tentative Capcom & SNK collab takes, it should be interesting either way.

King of Fighters XV is out now on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.

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