Top Players and Narratives at King of Fighters XV 2023

EVO 2023 has tons of huge tournaments for new games, but classics like King of Fighters XV aren’t to be missed either. With all-round increased attendance, King of Fighters XV at EVO 2023 looks like one of our biggest years for the fighter to date.

With exactly 666 competitors signed up to the tournament, it’s a big year of KoF. The tournament at EVO will also be part of the SNK World Championship, so there’s more than just the prize pool here at stake. If you’re hoping to catch this tournament, this is what you can expect and the best players that are showing up for KoF XV at EVO 2023.

King of Fighters XV EVO 2023

The King of Fighters XV is one of just a few games that are mainstage events at EVO. While there are plenty of community tournaments, this is giving the competition a real air of importance. The event has a prize pool to match at $31,660. It’s also got more registered players than quite a few other tournaments taking place, even beating out Mortal Kombat 11.

The event has two stages. There’s the first round of pools, followed by the double-elimination Top 8 bracket, where we’ll see the very best players compete. The winner gets the lion’s share of the prize, but also at stake is a place at the SNK World Championship finals. This is putting the winner of EVO automatically into the end-of-year blowout!

Top Players to Watch at XV EVO 2023

There are 666 players showing up for this tournament. Out of those, there’s a handful that are definitely worth keeping an eye out for. These are the players to watch at King of Fighters XV Evo 2023.

Wero Asamiya

Wero Asamiya is one of the main players to watch at the tournament. He’s had quite a few big wins lately. This puts him on a good track to perform well at EVO 2023. Heading into the tournament, he’s taken 1 place at both CEO and Combo Breaker. After a disappointing 65-96th at EVO Japan, Wero Asamiya might be ready to go all the way to the main EVO.

Juan KOF

Juan KOF is another player coming into King of Fighters XV at EVO 2023 with some great recent wins behind him. He’s most recently taken a win at Dreamhack San Diego 2023. Last year at EVO he came in 9-12th. There is a good chance he can rise even further up this year.

Chino Funkey

Chino Funkey is a Peruvian player who’s coming in fresh off a win at Defend the North 2023. Before this, he took 2nd at CEO. These are more recent results, but he’s clearly risen up the rankings of players this year. EVO 2023 could be a big one for Chino Funkey.

Xiaohai

Probably one of the best KoF players ever, Xaiohai is one of the players to beat at EVO. He’s won EVO twice. That includes this year’s EVO Japan tournament. He’s one of the dominant forces in the game. Xiaohai could easily steamroll through this year’s tournament to win both EVO and EVO Japan in one year.

ZJZ

ZJZ is another KoF player who has been dominating the game for some time, having won two previous EVO titles. He’s had some great runs in Street Fighter at EVO. Coming to KoF XV at EVO 2023, he’s recently come in second at EVO Japan. We may end up seeing a rematch of that final with him against Xaiohai.

Those are some of the key players to watch out for at King of Fighters EVO 2023. With the massively increased player count this year, it’s going to be one for the record books. Let’s hope KoF makes for an exciting tournament.