The King of Fighters '96[a] (KOF '96) is a fighting game released by SNK for the Neo Geo arcade and home consoles in 1996.

The plot follows a new King of Fighters tournament created by Chizuru Kagura, the heir of the Yata Clan, who wants to find and recruit the protagonist, Kyo Kusanagi, who defeated the previous host Rugal Bernstein.

Developers made several changes to the cast when compared to The King of Fighters '95, with special focus on a Boss Team composed of famous villains from their other two IPs, Fatal Fury and Art of Fighting.

SNK developer Yasuyuki Oda referred to KOF '96 as the most important game from the franchise because it served as the basis for most of their works.

[9] SNK staff members noted that due to the great popularity of some of the series's characters, it was difficult to design new ones that would have the same appeal.

[13] Chizuru Kagura was created as a means to expand the Orochi arc and bring Kyo and Iori together as the "Three Sacred Treasures Team", which represents the three Imperial Regalia of Japan: the sword, the mirror, and the jewel.

Due to issues with development, the original clothing damage Yuri Sakazaki and King were to suffer when defeated by special moves was removed.

However, The King of Fighters '96 was the last game directed by Kuwasashi, who expressed experiencing pressure due to the annual release schedule.

This led to his eventual replacement with battle designer Toyohisa Tanabe as the next director; he would end the Orochi arc with The King of Fighters '97.

The developers felt that this was an element that contradicted their previous aim of speeding up the game, and although the "attack evasion" itself was well received, they changed it to an "emergency return action" that involved movement - though this was also a bit difficult to use.

Many people attended the location testing events, which provided the developers with feedback about the mechanics, and helped to further balance the game.

The inclusion of Geese was innovative, but at the same time was confusing to players because the game was released after Real Bout Fatal Fury, which marked the death of that character.

[15] Among several characters, the protagonist Kyo Kusanagi has different moves, which reinforce a hand-to-hand combat style rather than throwing projectiles like in previous games.

[20] Artist Shinkiro considered Leona to be an "ice queen" persona; the opposite of Mai Shiranui from Fatal Fury.

[21] SNK artist Falcoon stated that Leona was the company's response to Street Fighter character Cammy; both are implosion assassins.

[29] The Neo Geo AES version was added via emulation to the Wii Virtual Console in Japan on February 15, 2011, in North America on July 12, 2012, and in the PAL region on November 22, 2012.

[34] Ryo Takamisaki also wrote The King of Fighters G, a manga that retells the events of the game, following Athena Asamiya.

"[39] GameSpot noted that the game helped start "a modest resurgence in the sales of AES consoles and cartridges.

The four reviewers of Electronic Gaming Monthly gave the Neo Geo AES version a 7.5 out of 10, citing the huge roster of fighters and retention of the series's strong playability.

[1] Upon being ported to the PlayStation 3, Akihabara noted that the biggest feature that every player would be looking forward to using would be the Online Mode, and added that the game still stood out in modern times, thanks to its variety of playable characters.

Dan Hsu and Sushi-X both criticized it for failing to improve graphically over the previous installment, and thereby keep up with contemporary 2D fighting series such as Street Fighter.

[37] PlayStation Life Style praised the focus of the narrative, as the relationship between the two protagonists, Kyo Kusanagi and Iori Yagami, is further elaborated upon and new characters were created to explore such lore.

[49] In retrospect, the plot was well-received for how the two rivals Kyo and Iori joined forces for the first time despite their antagonism, which went on to create a major impact in SNK history thanks to the appeal of these two fighters.

[50][51] 1UP.com and HardcoreGaming liked the additions of Vice and Mature, the new Boss Team composed of famous SNK villains, the special introductions between related characters, and the custom endings and winposes.

[52] The popularity of the previous version of Kyo Kusanagi often led to SNK adding in sequels the idea to play as him alternatively.