Actually i remember quite well that Maro ( German Store back then ) did offer me a Kizuna, but i did not want it.
I actually thought well that Savage Reign i have on CD was not really great, so i pass up the cart and wait for a CD release.
Keep in mind in Germany we had not great arcades, where you could go and test new SNK titels and videogame magazines often did not even test em or very late.
Actually i was also buying games for my NTSC N64, so i had to choose where my money did go.
Why its so rare ? I dont know, i can say that the Maro store often only had a few copys of Neo-Geo games later. While the main store was in Stuttgard there where also a few franchise partners.
For that reason i got my Shock Trooper 2 cart not from the Maro Store in Stuttgard ( because they didnt had it/ had it anymore ) and i had to buy it from a partner shop.
If you ask me because Savage Reign was not great a lot ppl didnt buy Kizuna on cart. Could also be that Maro only had a few copys for sale, mostly for loyal Neo-Geo customers, because usually not many ppl in Germany could afford a Neo-Geo and its games or wanted to spend that much money.
I dont know where Maro got the games, i guess from SNK in the UK or/and somewhere else but i can say all games i bought from them where legit. Aside from that fake games wherent a thing back then.
Makes also no sense to do so at that time.
BTW afaik Maro never got Ultimate 11, i was asking them about it and they also didnt offer me one later.