Best of the Best: Championship Karate on SNES is that straight-laced "realistic fighter" about kickboxing where composure beats button-mashing. Around here it went by all sorts of names: "Best of the Best," "Best of the Best: Championship Karate," "Karate Championship," "Panza: Kick Boxing," even "Karate of Champions." On screen it's a ring, a ref, the crowd's murmur — and you in red gloves catching the beat: low kick, jab, step back, counter to the body. Spacing, footwork, ringcraft, stance, and timing decide everything. That's why it sticks in memory: the honest tournament vibe where one clean shot flips a bout, and "knockout" lands like a fanfare. It's about focus, respect for your opponent, and that special hush between strikes when the gamepad seems to freeze in your hands.

Its roots lie in the European Panza Kick Boxing; on SNES the project took this name and became the at-home gold standard of a "ring sim." You've got a fighter career, a training mode, and a customizable move set: pick techniques, manage stamina, keep your guard up, feel the tempo. The pixel animation sells the weight of the clinch, the ref counts you in, and two-player sparring turns the living room into a gym. Curious about the series' path? See our history, and cross-check the basics on Wikipedia. Best of the Best is SNES kickboxing without the fuss: body and head shots, measured counters, rare but deserved KOs. Every step is intentional, and the road to a world title runs through discipline and total concentration.

“Best of the Best — Championship Karate,” a.k.a. “Best of the Best,” is a fighter you feel in your skin. First bell and you’re gauging range, breathing steady, reading your opponent’s footwork. The pace isn’t frantic, it’s deliberate: step, feint, block, a sharp kiai and a snapping strike. It’s a karate championship with a kickboxing tint: patience, pauses, bursts. Spacing, timing, neat counters—this retro brawler rewards a cool head. Every round is a mini duel: low or high, piercing jab or spinning shot—not for show, but to split the guard, rack up points with the judges, or find that one clean knockout.

The path loops “tournament — sparring — gym”: a career that breathes like a training camp. In the gym you don’t mash buttons—you build muscle memory: the bag sets the tempo, speed work sharpens reflexes, strength drills add stamina. It’s great that you can tailor your arsenal: hand and foot strikes, comfy strings, a signature high kick or a tight hook to close the round. Fights are fair and unforgiving: blink—eat a counter; drift—hit the canvas. The game plan works: pull them apart, cook the body, then crack the head—or flip it. And when the crowd hushes and your corner whispers “one more round,” you get why “Championship Karate”/“Best of the Best” sticks in your head. A short gameplay breakdown for those who want to dig deeper—but the feel of the fight says more than any diagram.