Hero Team Esaka Team   Yagami Team Ikari Team Fatal Fury Team   Art of Fighting Team   Girls Team NESTS Team Psycho Soldiers Team   Korea Team   Bosses   2001 Edit Teams Special Team     Strikers

| K' | Maxima | Whip | Lin | | Kyo Kusanagi | Benimaru Nikaido | | Goro Daimon | Shingo Yabuki | | Iori Yagami | Vanessa | Seth | Ramon | | Leona | Ralf Jones | Clark Steel | Heidern | | Terry Bogard | Andy Bogard | | Joe Higashi | Blue Mary | | Ryo Sakazaki | Robert Garcia | | Yuri Sakazaki | Takuma Sakazaki | | King | Mai Shirunai | Hinako Shijuo | Li Xiangfei | | Kula Diamond | Foxy | K9999 | Angel | | Athena Asamiya | Sie Kensou | | Chin Gentsai | Bao | | Kim Kaphwan | Chang Koehan | | Choi Bounge | May Lee | | Original Zero | Igniz |     | Kyo Kusanagi | Benimaru Nikaido | | Goro Daimon | Iori Yagami |   | Striker Actions |

The destruction of Southtown and the investigation that began against the criminal organization NESTS, as the main suspect of the massive catastrophe, were a couple of events that shaked the whole world, which groveled in its' own hierachy of corruption and insecurity. The example of Southtown was but a warning to many countries throughout the world, that NESTS would not stop at anything to accomplish their evil ambitions, and no country would be safe as long as they maintained a strong presence in the world of crime.

Strangely enough, NESTS had maintained a low profile ever since the destruction of Southtown was confirmed. Having covered up their tracks, NESTS has retreated to seclusion, even though the Ikari Warriors mercenary agency has been leading an extensive investigation on the former facilities of NESTS. On the other hand, those who have abandoned the ranks of NESTS were also doing their own kind of investigation. These former NESTS agents, led by the mysterious K', were also trying to keep on NESTS' trail, but both the Ikari Warriors and K's squad could not find any trace of the activities of NESTS. What was going on? Did NESTS know that they were being followed? The situation seemed rather hopeless, until one day, invitations to the greatest fighting tournament of all time once again reached the hands of those worthy enough to go into combat, and do battle against the greatest warriors the world has ever known... .

The King of Fighters tournament enters the scene once again... the first competition of the 21st century!

But something odd was going on. The invitations were signed by the NESTS cartel themselves! It was obvious that NESTS was going to sponsor this tournament directly, and they didn't even seem fazed that several governments were searching for them the world out. Something seemed terribly wrong, but all the fighters knew that NESTS was up to no good, as usual. Would NESTS try to collect fighting data for yet another evil project? Why would they make a public appearance, hosting such an important event as the King of Fighters tournament, after leveling a whole city down to a burning heap of rubble? But this time, everyone knew that NESTS could not get away with this this time around. With the disaster of Southtown still fresh in their minds, the fighters gather around to find the best of the best, the ones who could stand up to NESTS and destroy them once and for all!

On one side, the main actors stepped on stage. K', his newfound sister Whip, and their android friend Maxima, all renegade NESTS agents, plan to make NESTS pay for their crimes, mostly the atrocities that NESTS performed against their own lives. This time, they would be joined by the enigmatic Hizoku ninja Lin, who is also after NESTS for personal reasons. The former Hero Team reunites once again, and this time, Shingo Yabuki gets to realize his golden dream of fighting alongside his master, the legendary fighter Kyo Kusanagi, in a King of Fighters tournament. Iori Yagami also finally gets a team to fight in once again, this time with the help of former NESTS underdogs Seth and Vanessa, along with goofy Mexican wrestler Ramon. Terry Bogard and the rest of the "Lonely Wolves" don't plan to remain idle and let the destruction of Southtown be for nothing! The Sakazaki family now has to help their old friend, Robert Garcia, who has fallen into a financial crisis due to the huge recession that the world economy had witnessed. The Ikari Warriors are more than intent on concluding their investigation on the NESTS cartel by busting them, and this time, Heidern would finally leave the sidelines and join the battle fray once more! The Psycho Soldiers dig further down on the whole issue of Sie Kensou and Bao sharing the same psychic power source. Once again, the Gorgeous Team has a nearly complete remaking, and this year, Jhun Hoon is forced to be left out of the tournament due to a street accident, and his place will be taken by a young and enthusiastic young girl called May Lee, a member of Kim's honorable school of Tae Kwon Do justice fighters!

But one team watches the whole development of the events from among the shadows. Their intentions are not yet known. But leading the team is no other than Kula Diamond, the anti-K' biological weapon that NESTS ordered to do away with the traitor Zero. She is closely followed by her superior and close friend, the swordswoman Foxy. But behind them, are a couple of new faces that will surely create a new reign of chaos in the tournament. They are new NESTS agents assigned especially for this tournament. One of them is a slender, yet deadly, female warrior, whose good looks match her killer moves. Her name is Angel, the high-spirited and lethal agent. And behind her, is the image of a frail young man. His physical appearance looks to be majorly deteriorated and incredibly fragile. But inside him rages the fire and power of a demon. He is the new biological weapon that NESTS plans to use against the traitors to their cause. His name... K9999. And he now targets K' and his team of renegades!

And so, the cry of batle can be heard once more! Now, teams have the choice of deciding their own lineup. Will one fighter prefer to fight alone, using his three partners as backup in the battle, or will all four warriors engage in combat, with no one to support them in the fight? The variety of strategies and the newcomers make this tournament more than a simple display of sheer strength and skill, but also requiring a great deal of mind power, of intelligence, of planning in order to emerge victorious. As the shadow of NESTS looms over the competitors, everyone tries their best, putting in their best efforts into battle, in order to find out those who could be worthy enough to fight against those who have caused so much pain. In the middle of this fight for revenge and justice, sometimes personal affairs are left aside, but even the flame that rages within the blood of those who are guided by hatred can't be easily swayed away. With that in mind, K', Kyo, Iori, and K9999 fight their own personal battles of resentment and harsh feelings.

As the final matches approaches, the battles are being monitored to a high technology base. Three mysterious figures watch the screens as the fights rage on with the maximum degree of passion ever seen in a fighting tournament. Throughout the world, the fights that are bound with glory and honor are being supervised by an ominous old man, cloaked in elegant clothing, sitting on a majestic throne. He is the very leader of the NESTS cartel, who watches the tournament as if it were his own show that he staged by himself, and as if the fighters were his mere puppets. Two persons stand on both his sides. On his right side, a man with long blond hair and drapped in an eerie black cloth. On his left side, a beautiful woman with blond hair, the leader's secretary, who couldn't look more similiar to a Hollywood star. The evil headmaster of NESTS gloats as his play takes place. But his plan should be wrapped up, so he now summons the best man for the job. Attending to the leader's call, is a man who inspires a certain feel of familiarity. His clothing is definetly similiar to that worn by Zero... but his face was very much different. The man who the leader of NESTS trusts in accepts the orders given to him, and he sets out to fulfill the evil plans of his boss.

Meanwhile, K's team is once again declared the winner of the 2001 King of Fighters tournament! But as the crowd and the millions of fans following the tournament through the news rage on, K' and his teammates remain emotionless. They know that the fight is far from over. As it turns out to be, they are invited by officials of the tournament to a celebration ceremony that is shaped out to be pretty unique: atop a floating blimp! K' tries to hide his suspects as the blimp takes flight. Maxima makes K' weary of the team's worries about this so-called reception party, but K' assures him that they will get to the bottom of this. The peculiar team reaches a huge hall, with only a narrow bridge that crosses above the whole engine room. An impressive woodwork and the advanced machinery fill the room. But as soon as they get there, the blimp begins to shake violently! The whole engines begin to work at maximum capacity, as the blimp splits into half! It is revealed that one half of the blimp hides a rocket ship, which blasts into the sky at an incredible speed. Whip is shocked at the unexpected turn of events, but K' places his attention on the other side of the bridge. A man with white hair and a familiar uniform stands in the door at the other end. A ferocious black lion lies by his side, sneering and growling at the team with a beastlike look in its' red eyes. It was the man who was assigned by the leader of NESTS to do away with the winning team!

Everyone knows who this man is... he looks vaguely familiar to Zero, the lunatic NESTS exceutive who tried to use the Zero Cannon against his own superiors! Indeed, the man admits he is Zero, but the Zero they knew (and his clone, Ling) who tried to blast them away with the Zero Cannon was in fact his clones. He accepeted that there was a mistake in his plans, as the clone developed his own consciousness. But he knew of other clones who must be disposed of, and pointed out to K'! He had received direct orders to do away with K' and his band of traitors. But this time, things would be a lot more fair for them. Zero called forth two of his most trustworthy helpers for a REAL four- on-four brawl! Another shocking revelation is shown as Krizalid, the advanced clone of K' who was thought to have died 2 years ago, appears aside the true Zero. Zero had retrieved the remaining data of the Krizalid project to create another clone of the late NESTS agent. The other figure was a familiar person for Lin. It was Ron, who had betrayed the Hizoku cause to join NESTS, and had been enhanced with NESTS' diobolical genetic technology to become a fearsome menace! As Zero's pet lion also readied for battle, Zero calls forth for the battle to end all battles to begin!

What followed was a cruel fight that would define who would live or die in this merciless combat. Lin inmediately went after Ron, in a fight of two members of the Hizoku clan. Maxima and Whip had to deal with Krizalid and Zero's pet lion, while K' came face-to-face with Zero himself. The intense action made the whole ship shake from the force of the blows inflicted by each side, but Zero was the one showing off the greatest amount of power, his incredible strength creating huge vortexes around him. But everyone was familiar with the style that the NESTS agents displayed. Lin knew Ron well because they both came from the same village, and had a repertoire of moves similiar to Lin's. Krizalid was no secret, having fought him 2 years ago, and Zero made the big mistake of inputing several of his moves into his clones. True, they all had greater power than what the group was used with, but their strategy was to wear down their power until they could finally finish them off. Finally, K' was able to strike down Zero after a troublesome battle, as well as his assistants. However, Lin could not capture Ron, who escaped from the battle in a rush.

However, this time, Zero did not make a big deal out of his defeat. Zero admits that he was bested by K' and his crew. As Zero says this, K' and the others feel how the ship rumbles once more. Zero tells the group that they have just arrived at NESTS' main HQ, and that they should hurry up and find the truth behind their past. Having said that, the whole ship begins to shake once more, but this time, it was beginning to fall apart! Wood and metal crashed down one another, as the ship began to suffer a series of violent explosions. Zero pointed out the exit for the cast of fighters, but before he could get out of the ship, K' turned back to look at Zero, who had given his back towards him and his comrades among the whole chaos in which the ship had turned into. K' smiled, and continued his path inside the main base of NESTS.

K' and the others now find themselves inside a highly advanced base. The impressive amount of technology was adorned with the details taht one could only see in European castles. Carpets spread over the floor, and several ornaments and paintings hung on the walls. As the group stares in awe at the amazing scene, Maxima calls for K's attention. Maxima is motionless at the sight he witnesses outside the window. K' and the others go to where Maxima, and the sight they see is also overwhelming. The entire planet Earth could be seen from the window! The ship had taken them to an outer space base! But there were more important matters to attend, as Lin points out a huge door at the end of the hall.

As the group enters, they are met with 3 figures standing in the darkness. Once again, the NESTS leader and his assistants make their star appearance! K' and Whip know that they must be the upper executives of NESTS, as they ready themselves for any sort of unpleasant surprises. The old man sits still, as a loud voice boom towards the foursome. The voice introduces himself as Igniz, the CEO of NESTS. Igniz congratulates K' and his partners for coming this far, and for defeating Zero. But he doubts that some worthless products of NESTS could ever get to topple the cartel! K' sneers, and replies that it is NESTS who should be worrying about their fate, as they had come here to destroy them once and for all!

Meanwhile, back on Earth, Foxy and Kula stare at the star-filled sky at nighttime. The night sky was so pretty, but they had been too busy following orders from NESTS to ever notice it. They watch as the remains of Zero's rocket ship plummets to the ground, engulfed in flames, down to the sea. Kula, who had gone through a whole deal of experiences of human feelings and life itself through the last 2 years, smiles. Maybe it was time for her and Foxy to begin a new life. But as she turns to Foxy, her friend and superior is speared in the back! Foxy falls to the ground, dead. Kula is in utter shock as Foxy's killer shows his face. It was K9999, who shapes his glove from a blade back to its' normal form. Angel smiles, and tells Kula that there are enough capable assassins in NESTS, and that they didn't need any sort of agents who would turn against them like K' did. Kula's tears flow freely down her cheeks, but they freeze before they can even fall down. Kula shouts out that she will never forget them for killing Foxy. But K9999 just shrugs her off as a biological defect, and both he and Angel get ready to dispose of Kula, before she can develop a will of her own!

Back in the space base, Igniz continues to taunt K' and the others. The cloning process that they had experimented on Kyo Kusanagi after the Orochi battle spawned 4 products: K', Krizalid, Kula Diamond, and K9999. Now that the experiments had proven succesful, their battle experience was already recorded on NESTS' supercomputers, so they had all the data they needed, data collected ever since 2 years ago. They had erased K's memories, because clones have no need of memories in order to fight to their full potential. But as soon as Igniz finishes his line, the blond man standing at the left of the old man grabs the NESTS leader by the head! It seems that Igniz was the assistant of the leader of NESTS, not the old man! In a moment, the old man turns into dust under Igniz' great power. Igniz stands forward, and claims that he will rid the world of all those who would stand in his way. That's why NESTS organized the King of Fighters tournament after all: to find out who was the strongest of the world, and then eliminate them to vanquish all possible threats to world conquest! And once he had done that, he would become the god for the new era... the era of NESTS! Igniz removes his cloak, and beckons for the team to attack him!

But Igniz was definetly no common underling. Having collected all the fighting data stored in the NESTS' database from the past 3 KOF tournaments, he channeled it to his own body, all that sheer fighting potential made quite a mix inside his organism! His incredible, overwhelming power, had the force of a deity, a superior being who could take down a whole army by himself! Igniz shurgged all attacks by Maxima, Whip, Lin... and even K' was like a mere toy to Igniz. Their attacks could not even faze him. Igniz was too fast, too powerful, his energy channeled into inhumanly strong explosions, which made the whole base shudder in its' vast strength. The team fell like paper dolls, and K', although brave and insistent, soon fell quickly. Igniz laughs at the team's futile attempts to impress him. But before K' could close his eyes and lose consciousness, as Igniz looms over with a glowing hand, ready to give him the final blow, a crimson flame blast shoves Igniz' hand aside!

Now, Kyo Kusanagi has entered the scene! But not only him... Terry, Athena, Ryo, Kim, even Iori all stood up to Igniz! Kyo wipes his mouth, and tells Igniz that NESTS has benefited themselves too much thanks to him. Now, after 2 years of hunting them down, Kyo would finally exact revenge from those who dared attempt to ruin his life! Likewise, the other fighters blamed Igniz for his divine delusions, which have costed the life of many, innocents and even the people of NESTS themselves! Igniz laughs, and explains that it was all just a means to an end... and that the end would be the destruction of those who stood against him! Now, the fight against Igniz would start once again... this time no one would allow him to realize Igniz' ambition of an utopia!

All the fighters put in their best effort, their bravest attempt, their whole energy, their whole souls into the battle. Igniz was still overpowered, and was too much for all them to handle, but the immortal will to survive and to keep on living by the rest of the fighters was what led them to keep on trying. Igniz could not understand why they would prefer to lose their lives than to accept a new world order! K' was inspired by the bravery of the other fighters, and stood up to fight once again! K' stands by Kyo's side, and tells Kyo that he never thought he would fight along him one day. Kyo turns to Iori, smiles, and tells K' that his quote is all too familiar. Now, the heat was on Igniz!

With the force of the 3 flames combined, Igniz could no longer stand strong. His whole numerical data was just that... numbers and statistics. Kyo and Iori knew what the real deal behind those numbers where, and K', who was a result of a biological experimient, had also came to realize that as well! Igniz was soon beginning to falter, until after being worn down by Iori and Kyo's flames, K' gave him the final blow, a huge flaming explosion which burned all the machines in the room to a crisp!

With his last ounce of strength, Igniz drags his battered body to a couple of pillars which stood in the highest point of the room, above some stairs. Igniz is surprised and enfuriated that the humans would shun the existence of a god among them. But, if the humans didn't desire a god, then he would become a demon! With those words, Igniz placed his hands on the cravings atop the pillars, and his whole body was surrounded with a beam of light. Not long after, the whole space station began to tremble violently. K' noticed that Earth had grown bigger and bigger outside the window. The space station was set on a crash course to Earth! The rest of the brave heroes tried to stop Igniz from his suicidal attempt, but a huge door closed the way to where Igniz was standing. The whole base became a flaming comet upon entrance to the atmosphere, and headed towards the planet in a quick path to final destruction.

Meanwhile, down on Earth, Kula tried her best to fight off K9999 and Angel. She fought bravely, using her freeze powers to her maximum capability. But two NESTS assassins against a young and confused girl was just too much. And K9999's violent behavior didn't allow for much, either. When Kula began to falter and feel weak from the effort, she noticed a bright light coming from the morning sky. K9999 and Angel also noticed it, and stood there, staring at the huge flaming sphere shooting down to the ground. The wrecked NESTS space station made a huge splash in the middle of the ocean, as the disturbed water and the raging flames shoot up to the sky. Angel wonders if that was the NESTS station, and if so, what would have happened to the leader of NESTS? But K9999 was determined to finish his job at any cost. The mere existence of Kula disturbed him to no end, so K9999 launches himself at Kula to finish her off. As K9999's hand mutates into a bizarre shape, a crimson flame blast shoves his mutated hand aside!

The man who interfered was K'! He was in quite a bad shape, but he could still stand tall, and face his advanced clone head to head. Now, Kula and K' stood together as partners for the first time ever, leveling the odds. K9999 was beginning to get really mad, as his hair waves in the wind, flashing tones of white. But Angel made to his notice that some helicopters were drawing nearby. They could be the remaining troops of NESTS looking for them! K9999 decides its' not time to stay around and play, as they should reunite with what's left of NESTS and think of a new plan. Angel and K9999 vanished, not before K9999 gives Kula and K' a final death sentence before he departs!

Diana, the other NESTS executive, meets with Kula and the others, trying to talk the situation out. Diana is disappointed that NESTS would have gone this way, but Whip reassures her that everything will be OK now that the higher ranks of NESTS have been dealt with, but Whip knows that her past is far from being resolved. Maxima and Lin watch over the other survivors of this faithful tournament as they walk away to their places of origin. Another year has flew by, but this time, a climate of peace and tranquility could be felt roaming in the air. Maxima is relieved that the nightmare that was once NESTS is finally over, as he looks over to the sinking NESTS space station, which is no better than ashes right now. But Lin knows better... Ron is still out there, perhaps planning a new scheme. Indeed, in a cliff not faraway from where the fighters of destiny are reunited, Ron and the mysterious NESTS secretary watch the scene of joy and triumph that overwhelms the warriors of faith. But Ron knows better. He vows that things won't stay like this for too long, and those who dare to interfere would have to prepare themselves, as Ron makes plans of his own... .

Walking on the coast line, two similiar figures walk along the humid sand, as the waves splash against their feet. The sun has already placed itself atop the middle of the sky, lighting up the heavens... as well as their souls. Kula, one of the figures, walks in a jolly fashion, kicking away the incoming water. She turns towards K', who has been walking along her the whole time. With his shades on, K' can't conceal the marks of his past battle, but his face does express a certain deal of relief. Kula nears K's side, and as she snucks up to him, she asks what would be in store for them now that NESTS is done for. K' seems reluctant to answer at first, but after some more insistence, he takes off his shades, and smiles at Kula. He knows that a new life, free from slavery and personal torments, would soon dawn on their lives... just like the morning sun.