The divine Elisabeth Blanctorche will return in The King of Fighters XV

Different Class

SNK has revealed the final character joining the launch roster of The King of Fighters XV and — as predicted by the community — noblewoman Elisabeth Blanctorche is finally making her grand return to the franchise, having been absent from the KoF ring for several years now.

Originally debuting in 2005’s The King of Fighters XI, Elisabeth is a staunchly regal member of high society, hiding her serious concerns of the world’s fate behind her stoic appearance and classy demeanor. Elisabeth is the last surviving member of the Blanctorche family, many of whom were killed in a fire at her home when she was a child. She also has an antagonistic-but-sisterly bond with troublemaker Ash Crimson, who tellingly also grew up within her ill-fated childhood manor… Hmmm…

Elisabeth is a highly technical King of Fighters character, who eschews both projectiles and magical abilities for scalpel precise combo carries and defensive techniques. While Elisabeth was not one of the most chosen characters during her previous KoF tenure, to come up against a solid Elisabeth player was often to find oneself on the receiving end of an extended beatdown, struggling to find gaps in her defense, and being frustrated by her “world-best” anti-air and juggle abilities.

Elisabeth joins rival Ash and the mysterious Kukri to form “Team Ash” — the final trio in KoF XV‘s mammoth roster. It must be said that Elisabeth looks great here, maintaining her classic fighting style while adopting some slick new abilities (note her new archery-based super). The King of Fighters XV genuinely has one of the best KoF rosters ever, with solid gameplay to boot. Here’s hoping that it can find its deserved audience when it launches, February 17, on PlayStation, Xbox Series, and PC platforms.

Chris Moyse

Senior Editor – Chris has been playing video games since the 1980s. Former Saturday Night Slam Master. Graduated from Galaxy High with honors. Twitter: @ChrisxMoyse