Lunch Break Hot-Takes' planned episode has been pre-empted by the Anita Baker of fighting games, Iori Yagami being announced for KOFXV. I simply could not let this go without losing my mind over it. Today's Lunch Break Hot-Take starts...now! #lunchbreakhottakes #KOFXV #IoriYagami

Before we get started though...Ya'll KNOW this would be a fire album. Two passionate musicians coming together under the commonality of love, joy, pain, sunshine and rain???? This was the duo that never was that should've been.

Don't come at me...you know I'm right!

So for those who may not know, SNK has finally confirmed that KOFXV, after what feels like a millions years of waiting is a legit title that's actually coming out that we can finally hit buttons with.

Not that we didn't know, given the hints Oda and company at SNK were giving over the past few years and then the ABRUPT teaser that wanted all of us yearning for more.

Needless to say, KOF fans were ready for a new game (for awhile now) and this trailer only increased the salivation of anyone who bangs with KOF.

In acknowledging that, expectations varied about what to expect visually, but I'm not about to really go too much into that since...that is ANOTHER story.

Suffice to say, we've seen our fair share of trailers within the past month debuting our first team--the Hero Team which consists of Benimaru, Meitenkun, and Shun'Ei--who are cool characters in their own right...

But Iori Yagami is Iori Yagami--not much is really contesting this character's presence. As much as I stan Kyo...Iori has a special place in my heart-- in terms of character design, playstyle...everything. In a way, Iori is low key everything.

So here's the trailer. For only being 57 seconds, it sure does show a lot without showing...a lot. Listen, it's better than the previous trailers so I'm happy with the changes SNK made so far. Sometimes its good to listen to your fans.

Right away, the first thing I noticed was the d r i p . Ya man's is already out here looking classy and C L A S S I C . What do I mean by, "C L A S S I C " you say?

In KOF 2000, Striker characters were introduced and one that caught a lot of people's eye was Another Iori. It's not that Iori wasn't already available but...look at that design, though!

While only available as an assist, default Yagami was playable among the rest of the KOF cast. While the classic Iori Yagami design will always be one of the greatest staples of fighting game character design--Another Iori definitely politely asked to hold its beer.

Arguably a simpler design in terms of silhouette and shape language--Another Iori's design manages to take a confidently cemented design and breathe new life into it, something that's happened along the storyline of the KOF series.

From KOF 95' to KOFXIII, XIV and XV--Iori's design has undergone some changes but still remains closely attached to the narrative, sensibility and tone of Iori Yagami.

I'm gonna keep it funk with ya'll though...I was not feeling his design in KOFXIV. The minute that his classic costume was available--I grabbed it immediately. Felt too much like a " I'm grabbing groceries, I hope no one sees me" vibe as opposed to the Orochi buying some salmon.

All in all, Iori has always felt like Iori and to harken back to a classy and timeless look for him in KOFXV has me more than hyped to rush people down with the Anita Baker of fighting games.

So what else is going on with Iori, besides the classy Another Iori Drip? More classic things that Iori players would want with a dash of new that's been show in subtlety, that's what! XD

As someone who played him mostly in 98' and onward--there's a lot to take from this trailer that could be common knowledge for some but new information for others so let's talk Normal Attacks, shall we?

Only going by the attacks shown in the trailer, the first thing I peeped was his Down C (or in some circles, Crouching Fierce. Mostly good for stopping Jump-ins and sometimes good for conversion/punish combos. Glad to see that back.

The next normal that was shown, even though I expected it to be there, the confirmation visually was beautifully reassuring.

The King of Crossups, Iori's Jumping Back+ B is...B A C K XD. A catalyst for many a combo and many a mixup. Iori is definitely going to be back on his bullshit, and I'm here for it.

It's something that across SNK fighting games, and even the Capcom Vs SNK series, has caused a living hell for some but for others it was Tuesday. Arguably, Orochi Iori's version seemed MVC2 Magneto fast but if you're not tourney legal--we don't do that.

His Toward Throw seems to be intact, presumably with the falling distance being about the same as in previous games--requiring a dash/run/roll up to maintain momentum, or decent placement to maybe to maintain spacing with a projectile.

Yeah, fall distance looks about 2 1/2 characters...not too far away. Also, this is how I tend to see thing when I'm mentally visualizing spacing--just so you know.

Dark Thrust (Hyaku-Hachi Shiki Yamibarai) is also returning, yet we don't get to see how far it travels, or its speed--leaving something to the imagination.

SNK being coy with it. I respect that.

They know we'll just sit here and speculate and hypothesize until the game comes out and go full buffet on the frame data. It's what we do.

Remember when I showed with the distance is from Iori's Forward throw? Let's take a look at his Back Throw which is done with the Toward or Back + D (or Toward/Back + Roundhouse). Notice anything different?

Outside of the animation and direction of the throw being different--we've got a closed distance here! The back throw allows you to keep up pressure, a somewhat common staple in classic 2-D fighting games--whereas the Forward Throw creates space. :)

While it's one small trailer--picking up on nuances like this are great since it gives you a sneak peek into what to expect when you're in Training Mode doing the real lab work!

The versatility between the two moves allows you to create an environment for your opponent that says I'm all over you all the time...or...

It allows you on knockdown to keep them far away--especially in an instance where they WANT to get closer to take more damage (always note the clock)! Time can be your friend or your enemy.

So, what do you do when you knock them down and you have them in front of you, theoretically?

Depending on the situation, if you've opened your opponent up causing them not to block, you can do one of my favorite things...C O M B O S

Speaking of which, the trailer shows off one of Iori's classic combos that's been around for at LEAST 20 years. Standing Close C into Hyaku Ni jū Nana Shiki Aoi Hana, or what people refer to as "Deadly Flower" or "Iori's Rekka".

Normally, I would leave it at that and say, "This is a combo that can be used for offense pressure and punishes as it keeps you fairly close to your opponent", but then this trailer did something I wasn't expecting.

The combo continued with an OTG with the EX version of Iori's, 212 Shiki: Kototsuki-In, commonly referred to as "Iori's Run Grab", which extended the combo.

At this moment, the trailer had me like...

As a fan of KOFXIII, one of my biggest gameplay gripes about KOFXIV was that the EX moves were restricted to only when you activated Max Mode. KOFXIV provided a lot of situations where access to these moves would've been more interesting but the game bet everything on MAX mode.

Allowing you to use meter outside of Max Mode to perform EX moves potentially opens up a lot more creativity with combo creation, opportunities to convert more damage from punishes, closing in the distance in different ways. KOFXV is allowed to breathe, basically.

It seems like KOFXV looked at KOFXIII's homework--but not to copy per se, but to be inspired. This is a great thing.

I'm not one to harshly criticize KOFXIV since that game in its own right was a strong title and had a significant following, however, I spent a lot more time with KOFXIII, and I still do to this day.

Let's take a minute to look back at KOFXIII and KOFXIV as titles that had great moments and followers who created memories with these awesome games.

If not for you, we wouldn't even be talking about KOFXV

Ok ok, let's not get too carried away here--there's still more to cover and we're only talking about a 57 second trailer.

One of my favorite things in KOF games has always been the way that you chain or link normal attacks together, especially when at first glance you've only got 4 attack buttons.

In some cases, going from your Standing/Crouching Light Punch (A) Light Kick (B) or Standing/Crouching Heavy Punch or Kick was the typical route for chains/link combos in most classic 2D fighting games. While Capcom games had more buttons to press, SNK followed a similar path.

With less buttons, things have to become a little more creative in order to allow for creativity in creating combos. Sometimes less can be more. Sometimes.

In KOF games, you could start with a Heavy attack and link into specific command based Normal Attacks performed with a Light Attack button, The SNK notation would be, C into A, or D into B.

Sometimes you'd have different variations on some characters like Kyo, who could do: A, B, Down+Foward D, depending on the game he was in.

This obviously benefitted him greatly in KOFXIII :)

Either way, linking a Heavy Attack into a weaker attack allowed for some interesting ways to start combos but usually didn't lead to much--with the one instance being KOFXIII where combo from overheads was a way of life with certain characters.

I mean, that shit was gravy for me. KOFXIII Kyo was amazing. Life is meant to be enjoyed. XD

I say that to say Iori can combo from his Heavy into Light Attack links now--and I'm definitely hear for it, specifically: Standing C, Toward +B into 212 Shiki: Kototsuki In

While this combo could possibly be a bit more damage, there's something to consider. It knocks you back hella far. This isn't "bad", just something to consider in matches even if this will be considered your most optimal combo for damage.

I will say this though, that combo looks sexy as hell.

But not as sexy as: Jump C, Down C, EX Rekka, leading into a launch--and the combo isn't even over yet. SNK is really encouraging me to explore juggle potential in this game.

Going from EX Rekka into 1211 Shiki Yaotome really feels like a reference to a KOFXIII juggle. Feels good to see. Also, note that 1211 Shiki Yaotome's attacks have moon crescent arcs in an homage to The Orochi. It's a nice touch!

I can't help but think that if there's juggle potential after EX Rekka then there's definitely enough to create a juggle recent to go for more damage, as an option along side going for the conversion to 1211 Shiki Yaotome ( aka Maiden Masher). Oh yeah, his laugh is back :)

You can't have Iori without the laugh. I've already talked about my love for characters with maniacal laughs so this is just par for the course, honestly. I need to figure out why that's my bag, though--or maybe I don't?

So after all of this--they show off his untitled Cinematic Desperation Move that really shows SNK is really caught up in the Rapture Of the Orochi. Come on, I had to make an Anita Baker reference at least once XD, You knew. Don't front.

One thing I'm noticing is that the Cinematic DMs have stronger storyboarding than the ones in KOFXIV! It looks like they're taking careful attention to embody the presence of these characters as much as they can. I'm looking forward to seeing this in matches!

I'd say overall that Iori's trailer has been the most involving one I've seen so far for KOFXV and if this is any indication of the love they're putting into the characters then I'm excited to see what's to come with future trailers.

Given what I remember story wise, it looks like we're gearing up for a Sacred Treasures Team and I want that so damn bad. I need Chizuru in a new game, p l e a s e . My body is ready.

L o o k a t H E R . She is such a fire character design.

Chizuru's fashion drip is

You know...there's one thing I noticed about this trailer that's a little odd and I wonder if anyone else has considered this.

This trailer did not confirm that Iori has Hyaki-Shiki Oniyaki, aka his "Shoryuken". I get that maybe they're going for him to be a more offense based character...but sometimes you gotta GO UP on a fool. We'll have to see, I guess.

I...yeah, I've definitely got concerns. My boy needs his DP. Iori is really gonna be out here W I L D without an Anti-Air option, outside of Down C.

Alternatively, maybe he could have really good horizontal coverage in terms of mobility, decent buttons to allow for pressure or mixups...but they also didn't confirm if he has his Scum Gale command grab which opened your opponent up for combos.

Then again, a 57 second trailer is a 57 second trailer. There's a possibility they're leaving a lot to the imagination as to just merely show a sample of what's to come.

Overall, the trailer was awesome and got me hype to wanna lab Iori in KOFXV. I feel like he's going to embody the savagery that I want though I will say that part of me is hopping for non-claw Iori DLC. He's got a special place in my heart and was a really good in KOFXIII.

Here's to KOFXV Iori bringing something new to how we approach him as a character and maybe something more excited than expected! And...to his soft spot for cats.

In the meantime, I hope you enjoyed my TEDxTalk about Iori Baker, I mean Iori Yagami being KOFXV, Hopefully it was a fun informative ride through the Twitterverse for you, as always--until next time!