: The title screens and character select backgrounds are redesigned to celebrate a decade of the franchise (1994–2004).

While the phrase " The King of Fighters 10th Anniversary " is often found on sites offering "free downloads" of the game for PC, it is not an official, standalone game release by SNK. Instead, it is a .

: Like KOF '98 , the 2002/10th Anniversary edition is a "Dream Match." This means it exists outside the series' main continuity (the NESTS or Ash Sagas).

If you are looking for the official story of that era, you might want to look into , which was the actual 10th-anniversary game released by SNK and kicked off the "Ash Saga" storyline.

: The story culminates in a final battle against the series' most iconic villain, Rugal Bernstein , who serves as the ultimate boss on his aircraft, the Sky Noah . What Makes the "10th Anniversary" Version Different?