Two years have passed since the last King of Fighters tournament. Nobody has seen Kyo Kusanagi or Iori Yagami ever since they defeated the evil being Orochi at the climax of the KOF'97 tournament. Invitations are sent to fighters all over the world. The King of Fighters will take place again this year!
But the circumstances this time around are different. There is not a hint of the hoopla surrounding the entrants like that of the previous tournament which thrilled the whole world, and there is a new rule, which is to bring an additional member for each teams as a "Striker" on top of usual three-fighter match. Meanwhile, Heidern, who sees through the suspicious tournament, dispatches Ralf and Clark to investigate the truth behind this tournament.
Benimaru Nikaido, as well, receives an invitation to KOF and to join the Special Team consisting of other carefully selected fighters.
Among the pre-selected teammates listed appear two names: K' (K-Dash) and Maxima. Benimaru is confused-he's never seen these names listed at any other fighting events; regardless...
With its myriad of mysteries, a new King of Fighters tournament gets ready to begin!
