'The King of Fighters' Debuts 'Blue Mary' for SNK's 21'st Arcade Character—'Street Fighter 5' Director Prediction Fails

"The King of Fighters XV" has no specific release date for its game, as it continues its weekly character release, particularly with the latest arrival of Blue Mary, which is a known DLC from the previous SNK arcade. On the other hand, the "Street Fighter V" director has taken to Twitter his prediction for the "King of Fighters," but misses its identity by a long shot.

Japan has had a handful of arcade games on its list, particularly as the "Tekken" and "Street Fighter" franchise have already dominated the industry, not to mention, SNK's "The King of Fighters." It seems like there is no end to its development as it debuts an evergreen feels which hardly fades, bringing an adrenaline-pumping and skill-enhancing combat experience in the console.

Previously, SNK has debuted various characters which have been highly anticipated for "The King of Fighters XV" (KOF XV) including the likes of Shermie, Ryo Sazaki, and Robert Garcia. Not only are they included, but also several "out of franchise" characters like King from "The Art of Fighting," and the most recent, "Fatal Fury's" Blue Mary.

'The King of Fighters XV': Blue Mary

Despite not being the only blonde in the game, Blue Mary holds a special arrival in SNK's "The King of Fighters XV," especially as she was originally a popular DLC from "The King of Fighters XIV." Blue Mary was also a beloved character from "Fatal Fury," which is another arcade game developed by SNK for its Neo Geo system.

According to SNK, Blue Mary will be part of the regular cast of "KOF XV" unlike her appearance in the previous installment of the game where she was only added as a DLC. Blue Mary is the 21st character to arrive in "KOF," and the total number of playable ones were not specified by SNK, with predictions saying it could debut in 50 or more fighters.

Here are all the confirmed characters for "The King of Fighters XV:"

• Shun' Ei
• Meitenkun
• Nikaido
• Benimaru
• Iori Yagami
• Joe Higashi
• Kyo Kunasagi
• Chizuru Kagura
• Andy Bogard
• Yuri Sakazaki
• Terry Bogard
• KING
• Mai Shiranui
• Shermie
• Chris
• Ryo Sazaki
• Robert Garcia
• Leona Heidern
• Ralf Jones
• Clark Still
• Blue Mary

Street Fighter V Director Wants Heavy-D to Join 'KOF XV'

Before unveiling Blue Mary, SNK has released a silhouette of the character for the fans and enthusiasts to guess, and it came as an indistinguishable character with the preview. However, "Street Fighter V" director, Taka Nakayama, has edited the silhouette background of SNK, and put "Heavy-D" inside, despite not fitting into it.

The character is a beloved one that appeared in several installments of SNK's "The King of Fighters," including that of its classic 1994 release. In the current line-up, Heavy-D is not yet available, but fans hope for the American fighter to join the latest game, and bring heavy-hitting action to it.

Written by Isaiah Richard