Fighter's History

Fighter's History (ファイターズヒストリー) is a series of fighting games developed and published by Data East.

Games

 * Fighter's History (1993)
 * Originally released as an arcade game. Also ported to the Super NES.
 * Fighter's History Dynamite (known in Europe as Karnov's Revenge) (March 17, 1994)
 * Originally released for the Neo Geo. Also ported to the Neo-Geo CD, Sega Saturn and Virtual Console, respectively.
 * Fighter's History: Mizoguchi Kiki Ippatsu (February 17, 1995)
 * Released exclusively in Japan for the Super Famicom, and as an extra in the Sega Saturn port of Fighter's History Dynamite.

Fighter's History

 * 🇺🇸 Ray McDougal (レイ・マクドガル) - The protagonist of the series. A detective who dislikes cigarettes and loves eating curry. Hearing that the mysterious "K" was a strong warrior, Ray leaves his home to participate in the Great Grappler tournament. By the time Dynamite takes place, he found a job as an active detective in Los Angeles. In both of his endings, he refuses to accept any of Karnov's riches and helps the giant to his feet. Ray explains that he only wanted to have a good fight and recognition as the stronger fighter. He is also an adventurous spirit who always has to be in action. He loves his on-the-go lifestyle.
 * 🇯🇵 Makoto Mizoguchi (溝口 誠) - A high-school drop out who ran away from his home to join the fighting circuit. He was modeled after Momotaro Tsurugi from Sakigake!! Otokojuku.
 * 🇨🇳 Liu Feilin (劉 飛鈴, Japanese: Ryu Feirin, Chinese Pinyin: Liú Fēilíng)
 * 🇯🇵 Ryoko Kano (嘉納 亮子)
 * Matlock Jade (マットロック・ジェイド)
 * 🇹🇭 Samchay Tomyamgun (サムチャイ・トムヤムクン)
 * 🇨🇳 Lee Diendou (李 典徳 Japanese: Rii Diendō, Chinese Pinyin: Lǐ Diǎndé)
 * 🇫🇷 Jean Pierre (ジャン・ピエール)
 * 🇮🇹 Marstorius (マーストリウス)
 * 🇫🇷 (allegedly, but not directly specified) Clown (クラウン)
 * 🇷🇺 Karnov (カルノフ) - Data East's fire breather icon character who appears as the final boss of the first Fighter's History and second-to-last boss in the later two sequels. He also made many cameo appearances in other Data East games.

Fighter's History Dynamite/Karnov's Revenge

 * 🇰🇪 Zazie Muhaba (ザジィ・ムハバ) - A fighter from Kenya seeking notoriety.
 * 🇰🇷 Liu Yungmie (柳 英美（リュウ・ヨンミー）) - A young woman seeking revenge for the deaths of her parents at Karnov's hand.
 * Ox (オックス) - Originated from the bonus stages of the arcade version of Data East's other fighting game, Karate Champ.

Fighter's History: Mizoguchi Kiki Ippatsu!!

 * 🇷🇺 Chelnov (チェルノブ) - Karnov's cousin and another character from the Data East game of the same name, who also made several cameo appearances in other Data East games.

History
During the release of the first game in the series, it topped the Japanese arcade charts, due to having a smoother combo system and characters that are more unique compared to the ones in most other modern-fighting games that weren't as successful in sales. However, it later caused Capcom to notice it and start suing Data East due to what Capcom felt were infringements on their Street Fighter II property. Capcom lost the case on grounds that the copied elements were scenes a faire and thus excluded from copyright. Data East's largest complaint in court was about their 1984 arcade game Karate Champ being the one that started it all in popularizing the fighting game genre. Despite its controversy in court, the first Fighter's History arcade was an out-and-out success for Data East in Japan, but a flop outside of Japan. In 2003, Data East filed for bankruptcy and sold the Fighter's History franchise along with several other Data East titles to G-Mode.

Related releases
Outside of the Fighter's History series, Makoto Mizoguchi and Liu Yungmie later appeared as special guests in a Japan-exclusive semi-sequel to Data East's Water Margin-based fighting arcade game, Outlaws Of The Lost Dynasty, titled as Suikoenbu Fuun Saiki. Five years after Data East went out of business while giving their video game rights to G-Mode, Paon, WorkJam and Crea-tech, SNK Playmore signed a deal with G-Mode to use their characters from the Fighter's History series in two SNK Playmore titles. Makoto Mizoguchi became the only character from the Fighter's History series as a special guest character in KOF: Maximum Impact Regulation A, an upgrade to KOF: Maximum Impact 2. A Japan-exclusive cell phone game specifically featuring the cast of Fatal Fury Special and Fighter's History Dynamite was also released named Garou Densetsu vs. Fighter's History Dynamite. Makoto Mizoguchi also appeared in Joe & Mac Returns as one of the enemies in the game.

In the 1998 movie The Replacement Killers, a Fighter's History arcade cabinet appears along with several other arcades.