THE KING OF FIGHTERS '98: DREAM MATCH NEVER ENDS SAISHU KUSANAGI FAQ v 1.1 by Douglas Shin (penpen70@yahoo.com) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- This FAQ is copyright 1999 by me. It is intended solely to be used as a help guide and is not to be used for profit. Otherwise feel free to distribute, put up or use. Please give credit where it is due and ask permission before using parts of my FAQ. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- TABLE OF CONTENTS I.Intro II.Background III.Basic Info IV.Moves V.Combos VI.Strategy VII.Credits and Thanks VIII.History ----------------------------------------------------------------------- I.Introduction Why am I writing an FAQ for Saishu Kusanagi? For several reasons. First off, I happen to think that Saishu is a pretty cool character to use since he's not one of those unbalanced, super powerful characters that everyone always picks (ehem, Iori, cough, cough). Second of all, I saw that there were no FAQs out there devoted to him. And finally, I have some extra time on my hands now that I'm on vacation. Hopefully, you will be able to get some useful info out of this FAQ and use it to have a lot of fun playing KOF 98 with friends. Who exactly is this fellow? Read on to find out... II.Background Information If you didn't know, Saishu Kusanagi is the father of Kyo Kusanagi, the hero of the King of Fighters series. He is the head of the Kusanagi clan, longtime rivals with the Yagami clan. His fighting style is centered around the deadly flames that he can produce when he fights, a trait of the Kusanagis. In King of Fighters '94, it was revealed that he fought Rugal and lost. He was brainwashed by Rugal and served as his henchman in King of Fighters '95. However, Kyo and the Hero team manage to defeat Rugal and save him. Now, he is back in full style for the King of Fighters '98 tournament! Saisyu teams up with Takuma Sakazaki and Heidern to form the "Masters" Team, or as I call them, the "Old Men's" Team. He was never selectable as a player in any previous KOF until this one, unless you used the code in '95 to select him. III.Basic Info 1.Introductory Pose NORMAL Saishu turns toward the screen and brings his hands together. A small flame appears between his hands as he poses. He then extinguishes the flame and turns to face his opponent. VS. VICE Vice turns to Saishu and says, "Anta mitetto hara tatte kundayo!" and then spits on the ground. This loosely translates to "The sight of your face ticks me off!" VS. KYO Saishu turn to Kyo and says something to him and then says, "Dooshita?" while Kyo does his normal intro. VS. RUGAL Saishu asks Rugal if he thinks he can defeat him, to which Rugal responds by cracking his knuckles and saying, "Yeah!" [NOTE:Info for special intros with Vice, Kyo and Rugal taken from Kao Megura's general FAQ for KOF 98] 2.Rolling (Press A+B) Saishu moves and simply rolls his body on the ground and gets up smoothly to face his opponent. This move is the exact same as Kyo's roll, I think. 3.Taunt (press Start) Saishu starts picking his ear for ear wax (???), looks at the finger and then grunts. 4.Win Poses You can choose the win pose you want by holding down A,B,C,or D. There are four different poses for Saishu. HOLD A Saishu starts laughing and then say utters something that I can't make out. HOLD B Saishu starts scratching his belly and then says something. HOLD C Saishu scratches his beard and then says, "Yaosobi wa kikenjazo," which translates to "Going out at night is dangerous." (???) HOLD D Saishu puts his hand on his chin and says something. [NOTE:Info for C pose comes from Joe Palanca's General FAQ] 5.Win Quote Saishu (who looks really weird in the winning picture) says, "Defeat is defeat. Fighting's no picnic, kid." IV.Moves I will be going in depth with both normal and special moves, in that order: 1.Normal Moves STANDING A Saishu stands using one arm with the elbow bent to attack with his fist. Very awkward looking and has very limited horizontal or vertical range. There is no use for this move, so I don't recommend using it. It has no poking or comboing value. CROUCHING A This is a standard crouching A, similar to most everyone else's crouching A. It's fast, has decent range and can be used in chains and standard comboes. It can also be used to poke, so this move has some usefulness. JUMPING A Saishu jumps forward with one arm outstretched and attacks with his palm at a downward angle. This move is not very good air to air so be careful in using it. It can be used as a combo starter but there are other much better combo starters. Use with caution since it is not a very good move. STANDING B Saishu uses his right leg to kick sideways parallel to the ground ala Terry Bogard style. It has good poking range but is not that fast so use accordingly. CROUCHING B Saishu sticks his leg out a short distance from his body and pokes low. This move doesn't have the range of a Terry or Leona and is comparable to Yuri's low B in terms of reach. It comes out quickly, but the short range limits its effectiveness. Make sure you're close enough to use this poke if you are attempting a chain. JUMPING B Saishu jumps in, using his knee to attack you, a la Ken or Ryu jumping short style from SF. It can be used as a combo starter although I would not recommend it. It's not useful as air to air attack, so you should avoid using this attack 99% of the time. STANDING C (near) This is a double hit attack that can be buffered into any special attack that Saishu has. This attack is the heart of his comboes. The first hit is interruptable, depending on what type of punishment you want to inflict on your opponent or if you are going for style points =). Use conservatively, meaning use when you have clear opportunity to combo. Otherwise, you can be tagged right after with a nice Iori Eight Maidens DM or a Leona Revolver Spark DM and those hurt! CROUCHING C Saishu attacks with the palm of one hand and both arms extending upward vertically. This attack has almost NO horizontal range. Therefore, I emphasize DO NOT attempt to use this attack as anti-air. The only place you would use it in such a way is if they were directly above you. It can be used in comboes but near standing C is much better and hits twice. JUMPING C (forward) Saishu extends his arms downward at a 45 degree angle to hit his opponent. This attack does not work well as a air to air attack because of the lag time that Saishu has bringing his arms down. Use it if you can get it out early. However, it is useful as a combo starter when you jump in. JUMPING C (stationary) Saishu jumps up in the air and then extends both his arms outward, almost like he's trying to fly. Depending on which side your opponent is on he hits them with his right or left arm. It can be used sometimes during air to air confrontation. Otherwise, it has very limited use. It can be used to start a combo if it connects with the opponent on the ground. STANDING D Saishu brings his leg up very high swing lika a crescent kick, out to in. It looks like he is straining to pull this move off as it looks somewhat awkward. Rarely, you can catch someone out of the air with this move. It is somewhat slow but is a decent move. CROUCHING D This move is almost identical to Kyo's crouching D. Saishu crouches and then extends one leg forward to try to trip the opponent. This move is a little slow, but you should throw it out occasionally. It doesn't quite have the range of Kyo's sweep though. JUMPING D We know that Kyo learned a lot of his normal moves well since many of his moves are copied off Saishu =). Saishu jumps forward and extends his leg in a slight up to down motion, not as exaggerated as Kyo's D. This serves well as a jump in combo starter and is decent air to air against most opponents. 2.Special Moves Move names were taken from Kao Megura's FAQ, many thanks! [NB:I will list the move first and then give a brief explanation and appropriate comment.] Abbreviations: B=back F=forward QCF=quarter circle forward QCB=quarter circle back DP=dragon punch (I hope you know what this motion is =)...F,D,DF) HCF=half circle forward HCB=half circle back Throws ------ Hikari Tsuchi (Signal Fire Hammer) B/F + C when close Issetsu Seoi Nage (Single Arm Shoulder Throw) B/F + D when close "Special" Normals ----------------- Ge Shiki: Gou Tsuchi (Foreign Style: Roaring Hammer) F + A Ge Shiki: Kubu Tsuchi (Foreign Style: Head Mallet) F + B Moves ----- Hyaku Shiki Yami Barai (Style No. 100: Darkness Sweep) QCF + P Nana Hyaku Ni Juu Shiki Homura Gasane (Style No. 720: Heavy Blaze) QCB + P (x2) Hachi Juu Shiki Oniyaki (Style No. 180: Demon Scorcher) DP + P Hyaku Shiki Nata Guruma (Style No. 100: Hatchet Wheel) DP + K Yon Hyaku Ni Juu Nana Shiki Kamu Kakari (Style 427: God Consult) HCB + K Desperation Moves (DM) ---------------------- Ura Hyaku Hachi Shiki Orochi Nagi (Style No. 180 Reversed: Great Serpent Mow) QCB, HCF + P (Can be delayed by holding down P) Sen Hyaku Ni Juu Nana Shiki Tsumu Gari (Style No. 1027: Eye of the Metropolis Reap) QCF, QCF + P ANALYSIS OF HIS MOVES -Saishu's special moves are pretty good. His Oniyaki uppercut, while not close to Kyo's effectiveness (since there is no autoguard), is still very good as anti air or wake up and will at worst, trade hits most of the time. Having a projectile that reaches across the screen doesn't hurt either and his Heavy Blaze move can be delayed slightly between the first and second hit, in similar way to Iori's Hollyhock Flower (QCB+P x3) move. His forward A attack is also very good since it must be blocked high and often catches people off guard. The only move that is not very useful is his HCB + K move, which has too long of a delay coming out and therefore, you can easily be hit out of it. V.Comboes Now the crucial part of the FAQ! Mastering Saishu's combos is the key to success and mastering his character. If you can land all of his combos consistently, you will have a very good chance of winning a round or two with him. Simple Combos ------------- 1.Crouching A/B, Crouching A, Oniyaki (dp+P) -using A, Rush 3 Hits -using C, Rush 4 Hits 2.Close Standing C (2 Hits), Oniyaki (dp+P) -using A, Rush 3 Hits -using C, Rush 4 Hits 3.Close Standing C (2 Hits), Darkness Sweep (qcf+P) -Rush 3 Hits 4.Close Standing C (2 Hits), Hatchet Wheel (dp+K) -using B, Rush 4 Hits -using D, Rush 5 Hits 5.Close Standing C (2 Hits), Heavy Blaze (qcb+P x2) -Rush 4 Hits *in all of the above combos, you can substitute Crouching C or Far Standing C for the close Standing C Normal Combos ------------- 6.Close Standing C (1 Hit), interrupt fwd+A, Darkness Sweep (qcf+P) -Rush 3 Hits 7.Close Standing C (1 Hit), interrupt fwd+A, Oniyaki (dp+P) -Rush 3 Hits 8.Close Standing C (1 Hit), interrupt fwd+A, Hatchet Wheel (dp+K) -using B, Rush 4 Hits -using D, Rush 5 Hits 9.Close Standing C (1 Hit), interrupt fwd+A, Heavy Blaze (qcb+P x2) -Rush 4 Hits 10.Jump C/D + any of above -Rush ??? Corner Combos ------------- 11.Jump C/D, Standing C (2 Hits), interrupt fwd+A, Darkness Sweep -Rush 5 Hits Super Combos ------------ 12.Crouching A/B, Crouching A, 1027 Tsumu Gari (qcfx2 +P) -DM, Rush 5 Hits -SDM, Rush 16 Hits 13.Crouching/Far Standing C, Tsumu Gari (qcfx2 +P) -DM, Rush 4 Hits -SDM, Rush 15 Hits 14.Crouching/Far Standing C, Orochi Nagi (qcb, hcf+P) -DM, Rush 2 Hits -SDM, Rush 4 Hits 15.Close Standing C (2 Hits), Tsumu Gari (qcfx2 +P) -DM, Rush 5 Hits -SDM, Rush 16 Hits 16.Close Standing C (2 Hits), Orochi Nagi (qcb, hcf+P) -DM, Rush 3 Hits -SDM, Rush 5 Hits 17.Close Standing C (1 Hit), interrupt fwd+A, Tsumu Gari (qcfx2 +P) -DM, Rush 5 Hits -SDM, Rush 16 Hits 18.Close Standing C (1 Hit), interrupt fwd+A, Orochi Nagi (qcb, hcf+P) -DM, Rush 3 Hits -SDM, Rush 5 Hits *Note that you can also add in Jump C/D obviously; add 1 to Rush counter 19.Jump C/D, Close Standing C (2 Hits), fwd+A, Tsumu Gari (qcfx2 +P) -DM, Rush 7 Hits **NOTE: This combo works ONLY with DM, not with powered up SDM 20.Jump C/D, Close Standing C (2 Hits), fwd+A, Orochi Nagi (qcb, hcf+P) -DM, Rush 5 Hits -SDM, Rush 7 Hits (NB:This is as far as I know, Saishu's most damaging combo so use when you can and then smirk at your opponent =P) NEW!!! 21.Jump C/D, Close Standing C (2 Hits), fwd+A, Heavy Blaze (qcbx2 +P), Darkness Sweep (qcf+P), Orochi Nagi (qcb, hcf+P)!!! -SDM only, Rush ??? Hits *This is a combo that Kronon emailed to me! Supposedly, the key to this combo is timing the Darkness Sweep perfectly as the opponent is falling from the Heavy Blaze. Since I no longer have KOF 98, it would be greatly appreciated if someone else could confirm that this combo works also. Thanks Kronon! Looks like this could be Saishu's best combo! VI.Strategy Saishu Kusanagi is a fun character to play but he takes some skill to win with. Being a middle tier character, he can hold his own against most other characters. Take notice that you CANNOT be passive with Saishu; that is, you can't wait for the opponent to come to you as it's a sure way to lose. You have to be aggressive with him but not to the point of blindly attacking with no strategy. Learn what his weaknesses and his strong points are. For example, don't try to use his fireball move as a keep away move every time but rather as part of a combo or use it occasionally to keep your opponent in a corner. His uppercut move has its strengths as well. Although it does have limited range, his uppercut does have some horizontal range and is deceptively good. The flame produced when he does the motion gives him the horizontal range he needs. However, it doesn't have Kyo range. His supers are decent but as most other supers, you can be hit out of it fairly easily so watch out. However, his Tsumu Gari DM is very useful against people who like to use low B's and D's, since it goes through those. Saishu's got one of the best taunts in the game, IMHO, so use it 1)if your opponent is a turtler who sits in the corner all day, or 2)if you are opening up a major can of whup ass on your opponent! As for gameplay, mix up his moves. Pressure with combos even if they don't connect and use his fwd+A move a lot also, since it catches people who often like to block only low. Saishu will have trouble against speedy characters and overpowering characters like Iori but against those people, caution and patience is the theme. Everybody makes mistakes and when they do, punish them with combos and DON'T mess up! Saishu's best range against people is about half a screen or less, since many of his moves have good horizontal range at this distance. The key to succes with him is his damaging comboes. Saishu can't possibly hope to defeat upper tier characters like Iori, Chris and Kyo with poking or turtling. Don't hesitate to share new combos or strategies with me by mailing me at penpen70@yahoo.com VII.Credits and Thanks -First off to SNK of course for making the King of Fighters the best fighting game around! -Kao Megura, for letting me use move names for Saishu and some basic info. This guy's the king of FAQ writers! (kmegura@hotmail.com) -Joe Palanca, for the info on some of Saishu's special intros -John Shin, for driving me to become a better King of Fighters player and teaching me a lot about the game. Stop complaining about no Terry power charge infinite in 98! -Kronon (kitty9@singnet.com.sg) for the cool new combo! -Jung, for first getting me into KOF as a serious player. -Edward Ma, for staying up with me and playing KOF on Neo Geo CD at 3 in the morning and making me crack up with all those jokes about the game -UCSD gameroom for getting the game, although they NEVER fixed the joysticks or the buttons! VIII.History (8/99?) Version 1.0-First and almost complete draft! (9/16/99) Version 1.1-Update with one new combo and strategy section