SNK announced that Laocorn Gaudeamus will join Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves on November 19, 2026. The release marks his first playable appearance in the fighting franchise. The character serves as the sixth downloadable addition for the game’s Season 3 roster and introduces the main villain of the 1994 anime film into South Town. With the fighter’s debut, the upcoming update introduces new story content in two single-player modes [4].
How Laocorn Gaudeamus Enters South Town
The November 19 launch brings Laocorn Gaudeamus to players who own Season Pass 3 or purchase him individually when the patch rolls out worldwide. SNK accompanied the announcement with two promotional videos, publishing a character trailer showcasing his offensive moveset and a digest movie that recaps his cinematic background for newcomers [4]. Voice cast credits confirm Branden Loera as the English voice of Laocorn, while veteran actor Shin-ichiro Miki reprises his work for the Japanese audio track [3]. SNK also showcased his combative personality in the reveal trailer with his signature battle line, “You shall die while cursing your own human weakness!” SNK released both videos on its official YouTube channels with separate English and Japanese audio tracks for players [4].
His arrival expands the game’s offline offerings by adding unique narrative paths to both Arcade Mode and Episodes of South Town. In Episodes of South Town, known as EOST, players steer fighters through role-playing challenges and city map encounters that flesh out character motivations [5]. SNK built new dialogue sequences for Laocorn that explore how his quest for supremacy unfolds against new challengers in the tournament circuit. The studio confirmed that these narrative scenarios will be accessible immediately upon downloading the character patch [4].
Story Roots in The Motion Picture
Laocorn originally appeared as the main villain of Fatal Fury: The Motion Picture, which premiered in Japanese theaters on July 16, 1994, before arriving on English VHS tapes in September 1995. Shochiku distributed the film, producing it with Fuji Television, Asatsu International, and SNK under the direction of Masami Obari. Obari had previously served as character designer and chief animation director on the television specials Fatal Fury: Legend of the Hungry Wolf and its sequel The New Battle, where he shaped the visual look of the franchise [4]. In the film’s standalone storyline, Terry Bogard and his allies confront Laocorn in an escalating worldwide race to prevent an ancient relic from unleashing catastrophic power [7].
Ancient lore identifies Laocorn Gaudeamus and his twin sister Sulia as the direct descendants of Gaudeamus, a legendary warrior from antiquity. Flanked by his loyal followers known as the Triumvirate, Laocorn hunts down the scattered pieces of the fabled Armor of Mars to transcend his mortal limitations and ascend to godhood [2]. In Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, the narrative brings this pursuit into South Town when he learns that the armor’s final missing component is offered as the championship prize for the King of Fighters tournament [4]. Three decades after his film debut, he enters the ring to claim that prize in person [7].
Combat Systems and Playable Modes
The fighting system in Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves combines classic mechanics with new offensive options through the REV System. Fighters spend meter on multiple techniques, including Rev Arts enhanced specials, Rev Accel attack chains, and heavy Rev Blow strikes to keep opponents under constant offensive pressure. The system also includes defensive mechanics such as Rev Guard, which creates spacing during high-intensity exchanges. The game also reinterprets the classic T.O.P. mechanic from the 1999 release Garou: Mark of the Wolves as the Selective Potential Gear system, letting players place their damage boost window at the start, middle, or end of their health gauge [2].
To help newcomers get acclimated, SNK implemented an accessible control option paired with standard arcade inputs, along with rollback netcode and cross-platform matchmaking for smooth online play [4]. A free demo offers five gameplay modes for testing basic combat: Arcade, Classic Versus, Training, Tutorial, and Trial. That demo lets players try out six different characters, including series veterans Rock Howard, Terry Bogard, Hotaru Futaba, and Mai Shiranui, as well as newcomers Preecha and Vox Reaper [6].
Season 3 Roster Lineup
Season 3 of the fighting game centers on the theme Destined for Revenge with seven fighters scheduled across the second half of 2026 [4]. The season began on July 23 with the return of boxer Rick Strowd, followed by breakdancing fighter Duck King on August 27. SNK then brought back veteran taekwondo master Kim Kaphwan to City of the Wolves as the third DLC entry in late September [1].
On October 22, the studio added guest fighters Manjiro “Mikey” Sano and Ken “Draken” Ryuguji from the manga and anime Tokyo Revengers in a simultaneous two-character update. After Laocorn Gaudeamus enters the ring on November 19, the season will conclude in December when guest fighter Reina from Tekken 8 completes the seven-character lineup [1].
These additions build on a massive crossover history that started with Street Fighter icons Ken and Chun-Li in Season Pass 1, followed by martial arts legend Kenshiro from Fist of the North Star in Season Pass 2. SNK has also surprised fans with unorthodox guest inclusions, featuring real-life DJ Salvatore Ganacci and Portuguese soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo and returning favorites like Billy Kane and Marco Rodrigues [1]. The studio’s ongoing release cadence keeps the community active with fresh matchups all year [4].
Laocorn Gaudeamus Pricing and Editions
Fans who pick up Laocorn Gaudeamus have multiple purchasing options on supported platforms. Season Pass 3 sells for $19.99 or €19.99 and includes all seven fighters released during the season. Newcomers can purchase the base digital Standard Edition during a limited 75% discount that reduces the price from $19.99 to $4.99 on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC digital storefronts [4].
For players seeking the complete package, SNK offers the Revenge Edition for $49.99, bundling the base game with Season Passes 1, 2, and 3 on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, and PC [4]. On Nintendo Switch 2, where the title launched digitally on October 22, the bundle sells as the Starter Edition for $29.99 and includes all fighters through Season 3, ahead of a planned boxed cartridge release on January 21, 2027 [1], [6]. SNK also provides a free digital upgrade from the PlayStation 4 version to PlayStation 5, though upgrading a boxed disc requires a console equipped with a disc drive [4].
Headquartered in Osaka, SNK was originally established in 1978 under the name Shin Nihon Kikaku before adopting the abbreviated corporate name in 1986. After launching the original Fatal Fury in 1991 and Garou: Mark of the Wolves in 1999, the series remained dormant until City of the Wolves debuted on April 24, 2025, ending a 26-year hiatus [7]. The arrival of Laocorn bridges that long gap and puts an animated villain from the 1990s into the fighting game roster [4].
- ONLINE NEWS Anime News Network. (2026, November 12). Fatal Fury City of the Wolves Game Adds Fatal Fury: The Motion Picture’s Laocorn on November 19. [Article Link]
- ONLINE NEWS Harradence, M. (2026, November 12). Fatal Fury: City Of The Wolves Adds Laocorn Gaudeamus DLC On November 19. [Article Link]
- ONLINE NEWS Brian. (2026, November 12). Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves shares Laocorn Gaudeamus DLC release date, trailer. [Article Link]
- PRESS RELEASE SNK Corporation. (2026, November 12). Exploding with power, Laocorn Gaudeamus dominates in FATAL FURY: City of the Wolves! From Fatal Fury: The Motion Picture to the mean, modern streets of South Town—a return three decades in the making! [Article Link]
- ONLINE NEWS GoNintendo. (2026, November 12). Laocorn Gaudeamus Joins FATAL FURY: City of the Wolves on November 19th, 2026. [Article Link]
- ONLINE NEWS Kiwami, S. (2026, November 12). Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves DLC Character Laocorn Gaudeamus Releases on November 19. [Article Link]
- PRESS RELEASE Games Press. (2026, November 12). Laocorn Gaudeamus Brings Godlike Power to Season 3 of FATAL FURY: City of the Wolves on November 19. [Article Link]
