Why Does Art of Fighting 3 Take Place in Mexico?

If you’ve played much of Art of Fighting or its sister series, Fatal Fury, you probably know that South Town is the SNK answer to Capcom’s Metro City. They’re both big, dirty metropolises rife with crime as well as martial artists who fight crime. But while Metro City only became central to Street Fighter with the most recent installment, most Art of Fighting or Fatal Fury games revolve around South Town and one of its many crime bosses. The major exception is 1996’s Art of Fighting 3, which takes place in Mexico.On a surface level, this might seem like a weird choice for what ended up being the swan song for the Art of Fighting series, but a little bit of research will help explain why this decision was made. For one thing, the Japanese title of this game, Ryūko no Ken Gaiden (龍虎の拳 外伝 or Fist of the Dragon and Tiger Gaiden), makes it clear that it’s not a true sequel so much as a side story, hence why the main character is not the usual lead, Ryo Sakazaki, but his partner in…