Kizuna Encounter

is a competitive fighting game produced by SNK for the Neo Geo arcade and home platform. It is the sequel to Savage Reign. Like its predecessor, it was ported to the Neo-Geo CD and also included in the Fūun Super Combo for the PlayStation 2 (released in Japan only). The European PAL release is considered extremely rare and there only a few known to exist - It was last seen on sale on eBay in 2006 and went for US$3,700 [ref?] but some [who?] speculate it could be worth up to US$10,000.

Plot
One year ago, King Lion had made the Battle of the Beast God tournament in order to see on who had what it took to challenge and fight him in his own time and opportunity. Nine fighters had entered the competition and each of them had battled in a strong and relentless manner, but in the end...Sho Hayate had proven to be the strongest warrior and that he had won the competition while defeating King Lion (and his master King Leo) in the finals of the tournament. To seek revenge against Hayate and those that caused his downfall, King Lion has organized a second version of the Battle of the Beast God tournament, but this time...there's a new rule. Teams of 2 people must participate in this competition and that they must work together in order to ensure victory or face defeat. The competitors from last year's tournament have learned of King Lion's new competition and that each of them have decided to join forces with each other on either friendly or temporary terms. With the exception of Carol Stanzack (who decides to skip the tournament to continue her gymnastics training) and Nicola Zaza (who's too busy in working on his latest scientific project), Hayate and the fighters from the previous tournament return for combat and that they're ready to face the latest challenge that's presented to them by King Lion. However...the previous fighters aren't the only ones in this tournament, as two new challengers enter into the fray and that they have their own reasons in battling from within King Lion's competition. The fighters must be prepared to not only fight against each other and King Lion from within this tournament, but also a possible unknown threat that lies from within the shadows of this competition.

Gameplay
The Kizuna Encounter system is similar to thr Real Bout system. Notable additions include the tag system. Players have the ability to switch characters in game by pressing a special button while standing in a special zone. If a player is to lose one character, regardless of their other character's hit point, he or she loses the match. A roll system similar to the one used in The King of Fighters is also present in Kizuna Encounter.

Returning Characters

 * 🇯🇵Sho Hayate
 * 🇺🇸Max Eagle
 * Gordon Bowman
 * 🇨🇳Chung Paifu
 * 🇨🇦Joker
 * 🇰🇷Gozu
 * 🇰🇷Mezu
 * King Lion

New Characters

 * Rosa - She wields a sword in combat and leads a strong resistance force against King Lion. When her young brother and a couple of her friends are kidnapped by King Lion, Rosa heads to the tournament in hopes of defeating King Lion and saving her young brother and her friends.
 * 🇰🇷Kim Sue Il - A Korean fighter who uses a mixture of his Tae Kwan Do and bo staff skills in combat. He is a police detective who's investigating Joker's involvement in the tournament and that he seeks to arrest Joker and disband his gang, the Looly Po Po. It is implied that Sue Il is a descendant of Kim Kaphwan from the Fatal Fury series and that he shares some of his ancestor's traits (in which both of them value a strong sense of justice and that the two of them have an almost identical appearance and share many techniques).

Bosses

 * 🇫🇷King Leo (sub-boss)
 * 🇯🇵Jyazu (boss) - An unknown sadistic fighter that wears a golden crow's helmet on his head and that he dresses in the same attire as Gozu and Mezu (only this attire is black). He fights with a pair of sharp claws and that he uses relentless attacks and abilities in battle (most of them being high-powered and dangerous). Jyazu's background is shrouded in mystery and that his intentions are unknown, though he is known for being the leader of the mysterious assassionation organization, the Jaguar. He can transform into a crow at will and can mask his evil intent from his enemies, giving him an unfair advantage.