What follows is a translation.  The video is a discussion.

The KOF of Legend

The Fate of the Clans

Eighteen hundred years ago, Orochi was sealed away by the three clans: the Kusanagi, the Yasakani, and the Yata. In the eleven-plus centuries that followed, the world appeared to remain at peace, yet subtle changes were inevitably taking place.

The Liberation of Orochi

The Yasakani clan harbored a deep yearning for Orochi’s power. This long-festering desire eventually manifested in a concrete act: the liberation of Orochi’s soul.

However, the soul that appeared to be freed at that moment was not Orochi’s own, but rather the souls of the Orochi Hakkesshu. This was because the Yata clan, anticipating unforeseen contingencies, had relocated the seal.

The Completion of “Ya-Otome”

Although the Yasakani had failed to liberate Orochi’s soul, they forged a pact with the souls of the Hakkesshu they had released.

Although the Yasakani clan failed to liberate the “soul of Orochi,” they succeeded in perfecting “Yao-Otome”—the most devastating technique in history—by forging a pact with the liberated souls of the “Hakkesshu.”

Kusanagi / Yasakani

Sensing this incident early on… it was the Orochi clan that instigated the upheaval. They approached the Yasakani clan and incited them to confront the Kusanagi clan using the “Yao-otome” technique.

It was a desperate situation regarding the liberation of the “Orochi’s soul,” but the technique used to seal a pact with the liberated soul was the most heinous of all: “Yachime” (Eight Maidens).

They had two objectives. The first was to eradicate the Kusanagi, who held dominion over the “martial might” of the Three Sacred Treasures. The second was to use the conflict between the two clans as a spark to ignite a wider war, thereby drawing out the Yata clan and pinpointing the location of the “Orochi Seal.” The conflict raged for some time, yet no decisive conclusion was reached between the Kusanagi and Yasakani.

During this period, the Orochi clan and the souls of the liberated Hakkesshu (Eight Orochi Warriors) vanished elsewhere (though they were not utterly destroyed).

When the conflict entered a lull, it appeared as though a semblance of order had been restored.

From Yasakani to Yagami

However, reality proved otherwise. This conflict became the decisive turning point that severed the bond between the Kusanagi and Yasakani clans forever.

In the wake of this, the Yasakani clan adopted the name “Yagami” and continued their hostility toward the Kusanagi.

…This marks the beginning of the “fated bond from 660 years ago.”

Kusanagi, Yagami, Kagura… The Legend of the Three Sacred Treasures

The Three Sacred Treasures are the “Sword of Kusanagi,” the “Yasakani Jewel,” and the “Yata Mirror.”

Amaterasu bestowed these Three Sacred Treasures upon her grandson, Hikohono-ninigi, and sent him down to earth. This event is known as the *Tenson Korin* (Descent of the Heavenly Grandson), and the treasures have served as symbols of the Imperial Throne ever since.

Susanoo, a tempestuous god who ruled the seas, was banished from Takamagahara (the Plain of High Heaven) to the land of Izumo. He had caused his older sister—Amaterasu, the supreme deity—to retreat into the Heavenly Rock Cave (*Ame-no-Iwato*), plunging the world into darkness.

Upon seeing a chopstick floating down a river, Susanoo surmised that people must be living upstream and went to investigate. There, he found an elderly couple weeping before their daughter, Kushinada-hime.

When Susanoo asked the reason for their grief, they explained that a monstrous serpent known as Yamata-no-Orochi—a creature with eight heads and eight tails and eyes that gleamed a menacing red—was coming for them. The serpent devoured one maiden each year, and now, they were forced to offer up their last remaining daughter as a sacrifice.

Susanoo falls in love with Kushinada-hime…resolved to slay the Orochi. In preparation, he first transformed the maiden into a comb and placed it in his own hair. He then had eight entrances and eight platforms constructed within the fence, placing a vessel filled with strong liquor upon each platform.

Before long, the Orochi appeared; it thrust its eight heads into the eight vessels, drank the liquor, and fell into a drunken stupor.

Susanoo drew his long sword and slashed the intoxicated serpent to pieces. Upon severing its tail, he discovered a sword inside—none other than the *Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi* (also known as *Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi*), one of the Three Sacred Treasures.

Having slain the Orochi, Susanoo married Kushinada-hime. It was on this occasion that the famous “Yakumo-tatsu” (Rising Clouds) poem was composed.

As time passed, the year 1185 arrived. It is said that during the Battle of Dan-no-ura—the final naval engagement of the Genpei War—the *Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi* sank to the bottom of the sea along with Emperor Antoku.

KOF ’97 Tournament

It (KOF) had become a huge event, and it was clear to everyone that this tournament, like the previous one, was poised to generate tremendous excitement.

Which team would win this tournament, which the whole world was anticipating, and claim the “KOF” title? And would unexpected accidents, like those in the previous tournament, await this one as well? The world was focusing all its attention on this tournament.

The “KOF ’97” tournament was organized by Chizuru, who knew of Orochi’s terrifying nature only through legend. She had staged the event to lure in Kusanagi and Yagami—who were constantly at odds—and, by participating herself, sought to seal Orochi away once and for all.

Kyo and Iori, against their own wishes, themselves swept up in a massive tide of events, contrary to their own intentions. The shadow of Orochi, closing in with an intangible pressure, threatened to reach even Yuki—.the woman Kyo loved

Conclusion of the Orochi Saga

KOF ’94-97

Can the “Three Sacred Treasures”—which sealed away Orochi 1,800 years ago—join forces once again? How will the 660-year-old fated rivalry between the Kusanagi and Yagami clans finally be resolved? What is Orochi’s true objective as it extends its sinister reach toward Yuki? In the summer of ’97, the curtain rose on the “final battle” against Orochi…