Shingo Yabuki to Join KOF XV Cast Next Week

The new season of The King of Fighters XV will commence from the 17th of January 2023 and will bring with it a new character to the game. Shingo Yabuki will join the KOF roster from the 17th. Shingo is a firm fan-favorite who was first introduced in King of Fighters 97 as a Kyo Kusanagi super fan. This is a common trope that we see in other games like Street Fighter, where Sakura is a huge Ryu fan. 

However, what perhaps sets Shingo apart is how well-developed his story is. This means that over the course of the KOF timeline, Shingo has grown to be more than a mere fan of Kyo. At the end of King of Fighters 2001, he is discovered and trained by none other than Saisyu Kusanagi, Kyo's father. Shingo's happy-go-lucky personality has also endeared him to several fans over time. 

A trailer was released by SNK which showcased some of the things Shingo brings to the table.

Of note were some of the character interactions. Like the one he had with Kyo, where he called himself Kyo's 'Star Disciple' and asked to spar with his mentor, and Kyo still seemed relatively unbothered by Shingo's potential. We also caught a glimpse of an interaction with Ash where Shingo asked if he had ever met Ash before which is a callback to the game's lore where Ash erased himself from the timeline causing everyone who knew him to forget about him, including Shingo. 

As you watch the trailer, you'll notice that Shingo has kept a raft of his old moves including the infamous 'Shingoooo kick'

The trailer also revealed the release date for Kim Kaphwan, Najd, and Sylvie Paula Paula, who will be released between the Spring and Summer of 2023. Also, the trailer teased two more character reveals in the Fall and Winter of 2023. 

This will make six new characters for the year to be added to the game. 

Fans can now get excited about the future of KOF starting from the 17th of this month.