The King of Fighters Allstar Tier List: Our Top 10 Picks for the Best Fighters in the Game

Netmarble’s action RPG adaptation of the popular 2D fighting game franchise has definitely taken the world by storm as The King of Fighters Allstar has broken the 1 million downloads barrier in less than a month following its global launch. While its massive content, the quality of graphics, or the kind of gameplay it sports all contribute to its popularity, a lot of the fan and player discussions revolve around choosing the best fighters.

While the beat ‘em up action aspect of The King of Fighters Allstar can give each fighter you control a unique value based on how you play manually, and as much as the developers intrinsically want to balance each fighter as much as possible, some characters in the game simply perform much better than others and are preferred by more players. To be honest, you should not entirely depend on this tier list or any other tier list to decide on which characters in the game you want to invest in. As much as possible, the fun in The King of Fighters Allstar should actually come from how much you enjoy playing a favorite character.

If you have just started playing The King of Fighters Allstar, or will only be starting to play it, and have yet to secure a firm grasp of its basic mechanics and features, then we recommend that you read our beginner’s guide first. The King of Fighters Allstar beginner’s guide offers plenty of helpful tips and strategies to jumpstart your progress and help you on the road towards winning more matches. In the following The King of Fighters Allstar tier list, we will exclusively be focusing on showcasing the top fighters in the game.

Orochi Iori [KOF ’97 – Yellow – Attack Type]

Like in the original King of Fighters ’97, Orochi versions of fighters have been popular among fans of the series and known to exhibit flashier and more powerful versions of the characters. In The King of Fighters Allstar, both Orochi Iori and Orochi Leona can be a little more challenging to acquire than other fighters and a definite fighter to invest in if you are lucky to obtain him from a pull.

Orochi Iori currently sports one of the highest offensive power in the game without any cards, cores, or any sort of enhancement. His defense stats are a little lower than average, though, which makes him a typical glass cannon in both PvE and PvP combat. His leadership skill raises attack of all attacker types by 60% and reduces their defense by 10%. A notable skill is 127 Shiki: Aoibana, which not only inflicts 591% of attack damage to an enemy, but it also boosts his attack by 14.4% and his critical rate by 10.4% for 5 seconds. Although it reduces his defense by 12%, it is a perfect setup before unleashing all other special moves and finishing move on an opponent.

Linked with Chris ‘97, Yashiro ‘97, or Shermie ’97, Orochi Iori can earn a defense boost of 7% as well as a critical damage boost of 9%. Having any of these characters as a striker will earn him a 5% damage boost on enemies and a 5% penetration boost. While skills and links all seem to add further to Orochi Iori’s offensive prowess, you may want to use him more carefully against enemies that deal a lot of damage. Given his relatively low defense stats, blocking and dodging will be an essential skill to master manually playing as him in battles.

Goenitz [KOF ’96 – Green – Attack Type]

As a boss character from King of Fighters ’96, it can be expected that Goenitz will also be a valuable character in The King of Fighters Allstar. Like Orochi Iori, Goenitz exhibits superb attack power and also lags behind in defensive capabilities. Goenitz’ leadership skill can only benefit Orochi Clan Fighters but the boost it provides is a 30% increase in attack power plus a 12% increase in critical rate. Each of Goenitz’ skills deal tremendous damage, but his most notable one is Hyouga which deals 572% of attack as damage plus an 18% of attack as bleed damage for 7 seconds.

Goenitz has a wide variety of perks to choose from when it comes to linking with the appropriate fighters. Kyo Kusanagi ’98 can grant him a 20% power boost at the start of battle in addition to a permanent 5% damage boost. Going for a bit of defense, Chizuru can reduce damage taken from enemy attacks by 5% and also boost his HP by 3%.

Orochi Leona [KOF ’97 – Blue – Balanced Type]

As we mentioned earlier, Orochi versions of fighters in the King of Fighters series typically tend to outclass most normal version characters. Similar to Orochi Iori, Orochi Leona is also a hard to obtain character outside of special events that boost her pull rate. As a balanced type fighter, Orochi Leona’s offensive power pales in comparison with our first two picks but her defense and HP stat values more than make up for it especially if you are not that much of a gung-ho type of beat ‘em up game player. Her leadership skill boosts balanced type fighters’ attack by 30% and their critical rate by 10%.

One notable skill is Leona Crash EX, which deals damage equal to 809% of her attack and also boosts her critical rate by 20% for 5 seconds. In combination with other critical rate boosters and with ready skills after its activation, Orochi Leona can dish out nearly as much damage as our prior picks while offering the comfort of constantly having much higher defense values.

As critical rate may very well be a top choice to bolster Orochi Leona’s damage values, choosing Chris ’97, Yashiro ’97, or Shermie ’97 will give her a permanent critical damage boost of 9%. In addition, she will also gain an additional defense boost of 7%. For more defensive plays, choosing Leona ’97 as a link partner gives Orochi Leona an additional 5% HP boost plus a 2% HP leech for each enemy she defeats in battle.

Kyo Kusanagi [KOF ’95 – Blue – Attack Type]

As the main protagonist of the King of Fighters franchise, and among the top favorites of fans of the series, it should be very much expected that some, if not all, versions of Kyo Kusanagi in The King of Fighters Allstar should earn respectable spots in every tier ranking. Kyo Kusanagi’s leader skill provides a huge 50% attack boost to blue element fighters. His third skill, 75 Shiki: Orochinagi inflicts damage equal to 539% of his attack to an enemy while also boosting his own attack value by 11.6% for 7 seconds. Like Orochi Iori and Goenitz above, Kyo Kusanagi also lags behind in terms of defense stats so using him also requires a lot of well-timed guards and rolls.

For an all-out assault approach from the get-go, choosing Kyo Kusanagi ’98 as a striker grants him an additional 5% damage boost against enemies as well as a 20% power gauge boost at the start of the stage. Choosing Chizuru ’97, however, grants an all-stat boost giving an increase of 7% to HP, 7% to attack power, and another 7% to defense stats.

King [KOF ’94 – Red – Balanced Type]

The leader of the female fighters in the series and the only one to dress like a guy, King who started of in the art of Fighting game series has her own share of fans. King’s leader skills boost red element fighters’ HP and attack values by 25%. Despite being a balanced fighter and having a good balance between offense and defense, King’s Gliding Combo is a superb skill that not only deals 747% of attack as damage, it comes with a guaranteed stun on the enemy for 1.4 seconds. King is also an excellent striker as she can stun opponents for 3 seconds.

For PvP combat, we would go for King’s teammates Yuri Sakazaki ’94 or Mai Shiranui ’94 as strikers for the 2 second speed up on skill cool down time and the 5% HP boost. For PvE, having King’s very own ’95 and ’96 incarnations can help farming experience points and gold with an added 6% boost on bothupon stage completion.

Mai Shiranui [KOF ’95 – Red – Attack Type]

Andy Bogard’s lover and the resident Kunoichi of the Fatal Fury series, Mai Shiranui’s prowess definitely goes beyond her fascinating attire. As the most popular female fighter in the franchise, fans and players of The King of Fighters Allstar will most likely consider her as among their top picks even in the absence of a tier guide. As an attack type fighter, Mai Shiranui’s leader skill, which boosts attack and HP of the team by 25%, is a great support to her stats. Her first skill, Ryuuembu, may not deal much initial damage with only 485% of attack as damage up front, but it inflicts 18% of burn damage per second for 7 seconds.

Mai Shiranui’s best strikers are her teammates, Yuri Sakazaki and King. Having either one will grant Mai Shiranui with a 5% increase in HP as well as a 2 second reduction in the cool down of all her skills. Andy Bogard ’95 is a fair substitute as well as having him as a striker will reduce damage taken by 4% and also cut down skill cool down period by 1 second.

Shermie [KOF ’97 – Purple – Defense Type]

The Orochi Clan’s female grappler is known to be a formidable opponent when she first appeared in the series. In The King of Fighters Allstar, Shermie’s value is lodged on the overall synergy of her stats and skills. As a defense type, her leader skill which boosts attack by 60% when HP is above 70% is a valuable one. While some battles may have limited use for it, the less selective nature of her leader skill, given that it covers any type or color element, makes Shermie a great fighter you can squeeze in with just about any team.

Her skill, Shermie Shoot, does damage equal to 819% of her attack and while that may pale in comparison to most attacks, the 1.4% max HP recovery it comes with supports Shermie’s naturally high HP stat and her leader skill.

Another plus for Shermie comesfrom the wide variety of fighters that offer different buffs for her when assigned as strikers. Teammates Yashiro and Chris provides a 20% power gauge boost at the start of the stage as well as a 2% damage reduction. As a striker, Shermie’s ’98 incarnation can give her a nice offensive boost in the form of a 5% increase in both attack power and power acquisition. Orochi Leona can boost her damage and increase her penetration by 5% as well.

K’ [KOF ’99 – Red – Attack Type]

As the protagonist of the NESTS saga, which spanned from KOF ’99 to KOF 2001, K’ was groomed initially to take Kyo Kusanagi’s mantle as the face of the franchise. Although not as popular, K’ is among the top favorites in the entire King of Fighters series. All about assault, K’s leader skill buffs the entire team’s attack by a whopping 50% although it applies only to team members with a red element. While each of his attacks do decent damage, the one to utilize the most is third skill, Crow Bite, as it inflicts damage equal to 546% of his attack and also boosts his attack value by 11.6% for 7 seconds.

K’ has an added value when it comes to the wide variety of fighters you can use as his striker with different sets of buffs. Although a lot of them have yet been released in the global version, the existing ones suffice to still make him stand out. K’s partner and fellow android, Maxima, can give him a 10% boost in attack power as well as generate 1% power for him each second. Benimaru can give him a 3% attack boost and have him start off with an extra 20% power gauge boost at the start of the stage.

Yuri Sakazaki [KOF ’95 – Green – Attack Type]

Ryo Sakazaki’s younger sister, daughter of Takuma, and love interest of Robert Garcia, Yuri Sakazaki is a rare example of a character who started out from a non-playable supporting role. In The King of Fighters Allstar, Yuri Sakazaki is unique in the sense that her damage grows higher the more combos she connects. As such, using her manually will greatly give her more value than using her on auto mode.

Yuri’s first skill, Kuuga, 539% of attack damage but deals an additional 17% more from 30 combos and beyond. Saifua, on the other hand, starts off with 552% of attack as damage but increases by 19% during 20 combos and up. Hien Houokyaku supports both skills in a way, as it adds 5 combos on top of the 813% of attack damage it inflicts.

There actually are not that many choices for strikers with link effects for Yuri bu t even if her partners are the only choices, either one comes with a pretty decent buff. Choosing either Mai Shiranui or King as a striker for Yuri Sakazaki grants her a 7% boost in attack power as well as a 5% increase in maximum HP.

Ryo Sakazaki [KOF ’96 – Purple – Attack Type]

Although sometimes criticized for bearing some similarities to popular Street Fighter characters, the main character of SNK’s Art of Fighting series, as well as being among the top favorites of fans of the King of Fighters franchise, Ryo Sakazaki is a formidable fighter in The King of Fighters Allstar as he is the franchise. To start off, Ryo’s leader skill boost the team’s attack by 50%. With a higher defense stat than most attack type fighters, Ryo Sakazaki can take more damage although his offensive prowess pales in comparison with similar types of fighters. A notable skill is Kohoh, which is his uppercut, as it inflicts damage equal to 539% of his attack stat and also boosts his attack by 11.6% for the succeeding 7 seconds.

Setting original teammate, Robert Garcia, as a striker reduces the chance of Ryo being stricken by stun, poison, or frozen status and also boosts his attack power by 10% if his HP goes below 30%. Kasumi Todoh will grant Ryo with a 5% increase in max HP and defense. His teammate and sister, Yuri Sakazaki, will likewise give him a 5% defense boost as well as damage reduction of 3%.

And there you have it. These are our top picks for the best fighters in The King of Fighters Allstar right now. We are certain that while there is already a plethora of characters in the game, more will still be available in future updates. Much like any other game with huge rosters as well, you should expect that more powerful fighters will come causing some of our chosen fighters to slide down and ultimately out of the top ten list.

In any case, The King of Fighters Allstar relies on an entire team of 3 fighters and while lumping together 3 random characters from any tier list sounds awesome, it may not necessarily yield the best results. For starters, pick a main character based on your preference guided by the tier list and then decide on characters that support your main well enough. As it is very possible that your favorite character in the game may not be part of our tier list, feel free to share them in the comments below and why you think they should be among the best fighters in the game!