Shingo Yabuki Kicks Off The King Of Fighters XV Season 2 On January 17

After releasing first details at Evo back in August, SNK has fully revealed its plans for The King Of Fighter XV's second season of downloadable content, which will include six fighters and multiple gameplay enhancements.

KOF XV Season 2 will begin January 17 with the addition of Shingo Yabuki--the young student of series star Kyo Kusanagi who made his series debut in KOF '97. Five more characters will follow Shingo throughout 2023, including Kim Kaphwan in the spring, KOF XIV's Sylvia Paula Paula and Najd in the summer, and two mystery fighters teased via silhouette in the autumn.

Joining Shingo on January 17 will be a full character balance patch, which will make changes to the entire playable roster. Another major enhancement confirmed back in August--cross-play functionality--is currently scheduled for release between Kim Kaphwan's launch in spring and Sylvie Paula Paula in the summer.

As for the two silhouetted characters slated for the fall, early speculation from KOF fans on Twitter suggests the first is Duo Lon, who debuted in KOF 2003, and Hinako, who has not been playable since KOF 2003.

The King of Fighters XV is available now on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC. The first season of DLC included four teams of three fighters each, which included a team of guest characters from Samurai Shodown as well as a team centered around Garou: Mark Of The Wolves.