Nobuyuki Kuroki

is a Japanese game designer working for SNK. He did art for several Art of Fighting and Fatal Fury games and took a bigger role in The King of Fighters XIV and Samurai Shodown.

Biography Early life and preferences Nobuyuki Kuroki originally wanted to become a manga artist but felt he was not suitable for the job after going to an art school. Kuroki was a fan of John Wayne, Dragonlance and The Lord of the Rings.

He found the requirement list for SNK on the bulletin board at his school by chance. Upon seeing the company SNK, Kuroki was amazed by the fighting game Art of Fighting which he considered a masterpiece. This inspired him to work at SNK. Kuroki studied in the same art school as Yasuyuki Oda, Osaka Designers' College. His biggest impression from Art of Fighting was one of the main characters, Ryo Sakazaki.

Kuroki's three favorite games include Fatal Fury: King of Fighters, Diablo III and Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. As he was an assistant, Kuroki had a bigger role in Fatal Fury 3 where he designed the new characters, the Jin Brothers which gave him pressure.

The character of Rock Howard was created by Kuroki in 1998. Both he and Yasuyuki Oda wondered what type of hero would succeed Terry Bogard in Fatal Furys latest game, Garou: Mark of the Wolves. While they were not confident with Rock, they still decided to make him as the new protagonist. Kuroki considers Garou as one of SNK's best creations based on the appeal of the graphics despite being a Neo Geo game. He regarded The King of Fighters XIV as a success based on the number of players buying it.

Kuroki stated in February 2020 that he is personally interested in 'reviving' Garou: Mark of the Wolves, with Kuroki having already done Rock and B. Jenet's animations before the sequel was cancelled. Similarly, he is into the idea of rebooting Art of Fighting.

Works Art of Fighting 2 (1994) - Pixel art Real Bout Fatal Fury (1995)- Pixel art Art of Fighting 3 (1996) - Pixel art Real Bout Fatal Fury Special (1997) - Pixel art Real Bout Fatal Fury 2: The Newcomers (1998) - Design front, pixel art Garou: Mark of the Wolves (1999) - Pixel art The King of Fighters XIV (2016) - Art director SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy (2018) - Thanks Samurai Shodown (2019) - Director, art director