Oh cool, I never knew that (because I don't play KOF). You could argue that's a comeback mechanic that becomes more effective the better you get at the game. I wonder if presenting it that way to someone who only plays casually would encourage them to improve their blocking.
Not really. It's not a reward for losing or being put on the back foot - just correct defense, and the rewards for proper aggression (ie. putting your opponent behind) are insane. You get more meter than the victim you're hitting and if you have the meter the damage and corner carry in the game can get pretty nuts.
The one comeback mechanic-esque thing in the game is that both sides just get a lot of meter always, but the party doing things "correctly" - ie. hitting the opponent or blocking stuff - always gets more.