The King of Fighters XIII
Summary
The King of Fighters XIII is a combat game within the The King of Fighters series. It takes place following the events of The King of Fighters XI and serves as the finale to Ash Crimson's story, which began in The King of Fighters 2003. The game features another King of Fighters tournament, secretly organized by Those From the Distance Land, the group responsible for the events of the previous two games who seek to break the seal on the demon Orochi and harness its power.
Storyline
The game is set five years after the events of The King of Fighters XI and serves as the final entry in the third story arc that began with The King of Fighters 2003. Fighter Ash Crimson has taken in the powers of two heirs from the clans that sealed away Orochi 1,800 years ago—Chizuru Kagura and Iori Yagami—while Kyo Kusanagi is destined to be his final target. As his former ally, Elisabeth Blanctorche, gets ready to stop him, a new King of Fighters tournament is announced, organized by a mysterious figure known as "R." The event is backed by a woman named Rose, who is manipulated by "Those From The Past," the secretive group responsible for the previous two tournaments and their attempts to break Orochi’s seal, using Ash as their operative. When the victorious team reaches the game’s climax, Saiki, the leader of "Those From The Past," initiates his plan. He aims to harness the energy of the winning team to open a time portal, even going so far as to kill his own subordinate to confront the champions. However, during the battle, Botan observes that the portal to the past is beginning to shut down regardless of the fight's outcome. Before Saiki can proceed, he is attacked by Ash, who kills him and takes his power. It is then revealed that although Saiki had recruited Ash to retrieve the Three Sacred Treasures to power the time gate, Ash had no intention of aiding him. Suddenly, Ash is possessed by Saiki’s spirit and faces the tournament champions. Saiki is defeated at the gate but insists on crossing to the past, convinced he can return and try again. Ash, however, stops him and lets the gate close, trapping Saiki in the present. As Ash is a descendant of Saiki, he negates Saiki’s existence in the past and erases his own from the living world. As Ash disappears, time resumes its normal flow. In the Story Mode epilogue, Chizuru and Iori regain their powers. The remaining members of Saiki’s group depart. While everyone else seems to forget Ash ever existed, Elisabeth remains emotionally shattered, still remembering their shared past.
