2D fighting

2D fighting games are fighting games that exclusively deal with two-dimensional space and movement. Though there were fighting games before them, the first 2D fighting games are considered to be Karate Champ [空手道] and Karateka, both released in 1984. The genre would find a large growth in popularity thanks to the release of Street Fighter II: The World Warrior in 1991, introducing many gameplay concepts familiar with the genre. In 1999, Super Smash Bros. [ニンテンドウオールスター! 大乱闘スマッシュブラザーズ] was released, shirking many familiar genre conventions and popularizing the platform fighting sub-genre.