THE K K Y Y OOO SSSS H H IIIII RRRRR OOO K K Y Y O O S H H I R R O O KKK Y O O SSSS HHHHH I RRRRR O O K K Y O O S H H I R R O O K K Y OOO SSSS H H IIIII R R OOO PLAYER'S GUIDE/FAQ (v.5.0) PART 1/2 a labor of love by Damone Dedicated to all the players of the bad-ass kabuki master himself: KYOSHIRO SENRYO. This is designed to be a complete introduction for beginners and advanced players alike for the appreciation and use of Kyoshiro. Any replies, cool ascii pictures of Kyoshiro I can use, etc etc, to me, Damone (damone@ios.com). This Strategy Guide/Faq is available via annon ftp: ftp.netcom.com /pub/vi/vidgames/faqs 'ss2kyosh.txt' brawl.mindlink.net in /pub/ss2/guides 'kyoshiro.damone' cencongopher.concordia.ca /pub/JustTheFaqs/VideoGames/FAQs 'ss2kyosh.txt' And soon at: kaiwan.kaiwan.com /user/dvillnva/neogeo_faqs It is at the WWW pages: http://styx.ios.com/~damone/ss2page.html http://student.uq.edu.au/~e3321942 It is also posted regularly, as updates warrant, on USENET rec.games.video.arcade. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- CONTENTS: PART 1: VERSION HISTORY ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS DISTRIBUTION, ADDITIONS, CORRECTIONS, REQUESTS WANTED!!!! WHY SHOULD OR SHOULDN'T I PLAY KYOSHIRO KYOSHIRO INFORMATION MISC. INFO THE WORDS AND WISDOM OF KYOSHIRO WINNING POSES BETWEEN MATCH MESSAGES NON-ATTACK MOVEMENTS KYOSHIRO'S TAUNTS GENERAL STRATEGY NORMAL ATTACK MOVEMENTS PART 2: THE SPECIAL MOVES AND WHAT TO DO WITH THEM COMBOS INTERRUPTING ATTACKS FIGHTING THE SPECIAL CHARACTERS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN KYOSHIRO WINS CONCLUSION ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- VERSION HISTORY: 1.0: First draft. That's it. No neat artwork, info on fighting the judge, or individual player strategies. 1.5: Minor changes and format adjustments. 2.0: New sections added (WANTED!!!!, COMBOS) and other minor adjustments. 2.5: Added nifty little title graphic, minor adjustments, and format re-arrangement. 3.0: Additional input from other people added, more combos, expanded special moves section, new sections (NON-ATTACK MOVEMENTS, NORMAL ATTACK MOVEMENTS, ENDMATCH MESSAGES, MISC. INFO), added historical info, new Kuroko info, and minor format changes and corrections. 3.3: Additional corrections made, reformatting of sections, ftp availability. 3.5: Additional corrections and additions made, new information incorporated, and certain sections expanded and reformatted. Historical information updated. 3.7 Additional corrections and additions made. Specific move information incorporated. Revamping and updating of certain sections. New weaknesses of POW Special. New info on how to get to Kuroko. 4.5 Additional corrections and additions made. Significant re-writing and additions to most sections of the faq. Updated historical info. Revised GENERAL STRATEGY section. Additions and revisions to SPECIAL ATTACKS section. NORMAL ATTACKS section expanded and nearly completed. Revised COMBOS section. New information on strategies against Kuroko and Mizuki. Split into two parts. 4.7 New archive info. Some juggling of sections for better flow. Added info from Japanese SS2 Manual. New section (WINNING POSES). Small additions to the GENERAL STRATEGY section. New info on cancelling TAUNTS. Additional minor corrections and the like. 5.0 New archive info. New sections (THE WORDS AND WISDOM OF KYOSHIRO, INTERRUPTING ATTACKS). Revised historical info. ENDMATCH MESSAGES became BETWEEN MATCH MESSAGES. WINNING POSES section clarified. Minor corrections and whatnot. This is the last version barring major new info. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Shawn Holmes (shawnh@qb.island.net) See below Scott Fujimoto (sfujimoto@delphi.com) See below Greg Kasavin (shrike4@aol.com), info on getting to Kuroko Kenichiro Tanaka (tanaka@maya.com), Japanese manual & Kyoshiro translations Stephen Young (youngs3@rpi.edu), contributing writer, Team RPI Gave great input on combos, strategy, and special moves use. Kenneth Hsu (e3321942@student.uq.edu.au), author, Nakoruru Strategy Guide v.4.0 His strategy guide can be retrieved via anonymous FTP from FTP.NETCOM.COM /pub/vi/vidgames/faqs 'ss2nak.txt'. TECHNICAL RESEARCH: Scott Fujimoto (sfujimoto@delphi.com), See also below My own personal Bell Labs for testing information. His home version of SS2 and unique research methods have been the main source for specific move information. He deserved his own section. REFERENCE SOURCES: Shawn Holmes (shawnh@qb.island.net), author, SS2 Tapfaq (v. 4.0 & previous) Scott Fujimoto (ewann@sfu.ca), curator of the SS Faq (v. 12.0), editor, SS2 Tapfaq (v.5.0 and after) I borrowed move lists and and other items from the faqs. I have not properly acknowledged all the contributors to these faqs. Please check them out to give respect to all who helped in their efforts. They both can be retrieved via annon ftp at FTP.NETCOM.COM /pub/vi/vidgames/faqs. Support these worthy efforts. Shawn also gave me some feedback on this project and cleared up some small errors. Timothy Heydelaar (hydelaar@crash.cts.com), co-author, Strategy/Combo Faq (v.01) Rich Joseph (rfj105@psu.edu), co-author, Strategy/Combo Faq (v.01) Got some combo information from it. They started a big undertaking. Help them out. Scott Fujimoto (sfujimoto@delphi.com), author, Character History Faq (v.5.0) Got some historical information on Kyoshiro from the Faq. It has an EXTENSIVE list of sources on the characters. Check it out as 'ssorigin.txt' at brawl.mindlink.net in /pub/ss2/misc. He is also the author of the Kuroko Faq, found as 'kuroko.txt' at brawl.mindlink.net in /pub/ss2/guides. ARCHIVAL ASSISTANCE: Andy Eddy (vidgames@netcom.com), curator, Netcom site, Gamepro magazine He allowed me to put my faq at his site. Dave Kirsch (a00563@giant.mindlink.net), curator, Mindlink site He archives my faq at his site. Kenneth Hsu (e3321942@student.uq.edu.au), curator, his home page He archives my faq at: http://student.uq.edu.au/~e3321942 GeeSe Howard (dvillnva@kaiwan.com), curator, Kaiwan site He will be archiving my faq at his site. And to every Kyoshiro enthusiast in the world, here ya go. Did I mention Scott Fujimoto (sfujimoto@delphi.com)? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- DISTRIBUTION, ADDITIONS, CORRECTIONS, REQUESTS: This guide is free and public domain. It may be distributed freely and archived in its current form. I only ask that if it is archived anywhere that I be notified where, so I might update it at a later time if I so choose. THE ENTIRETY OF THIS FAQ IS PROTECTED BY PUBLIC COPYRIGHT. IT MAY NOT BE SOLD OR PUBLISHED FOR PROFIT, IN WHOLE OR PART, IN ANY FORM. If you have anything to contribute or correct, complain about, etc, please e-mail me at damone@ios.com. I appreciate all input. Please refrain for e-mail requests for this faq. Information on retrieving this faq is listed at the beginning of this document. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- WANTED!!!! -> Any more translations of Kyoshiro's speech -> Any ascii or ascii-ed gifs of Kyoshiro -> Any Kyoshiro combos you know -> Any other Kyoshiro info, etc Send any or all of this to me, Damone, at damone@ios.com. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- WHY SHOULD OR SHOULDN'T I PLAY KYOSHIRO: (Adapted From Tapfaq v.3.0) 3 Good Reasons to play as KYOSHIRO SENRYO --> Lots of moves make for fun play --> Good range for long weapon --> His ego is bigger than most can count PLUS: --> Near complete air superiority --> Can do many special moves WITHOUT weapons --> *** HE'S THE ONLY ONE TO DATE THE LAST BOSS *** 3 Bad Things about KYOSHIRO SENRYO (and why they are wrong) --> Weak attacks in air, usually loses to a well-timed counter - Um, no. This is a lie. --> Only character that got ONE new move - He was perfect when created ;p --> Won't give autographs - He will if he likes you. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- KYOSHIRO INFORMATION: HISTORICAL INFO ON KYOSHIRO: (From Character History Faq v.5.0) Senryo Kyoshiro Getting info on this guy was a real pain, mainly because almost all English books on Japan focus on economics, politics, and so forth and very little on popular culture. No wonder academics are considered out of touch... But silly gripes aside, it turns out the basis for our Kabuki man is VERY different from the character in the game. Kyoshiro is based on a fictional character named Nemuri Kyoshiro. "Sleepy-Eyed Kyoshiro, Notes on Villany," by Shibata Tosaburo was a novel serialized in a post-war magazine and later made into a film series from 1963-1969. Kyoshiro was a 17th-century skilled swordsman who was haunted by his violent origin. He was conceived when his mother was raped by a Portuguese missionary. Kyoshiro himself was estranged with society, and had a hatred of both Christians and women. Despite this, or because of it, he was also a complete womanizer--he often disrobed women by slashing their garments with his sword before...err...getting to know them better. Kyoshiro means "deranged fellow", while Nemuri means "sleepy", reflecting his blase attitude towards life, and his cynical and cold posture toward others. Nevertheless, he also pursued the Way of the Sword, and sought a Zen-like detachment from emotions and thoughts, just like Musashi. Note that Nemuri Kyoshiro had NOTHING to do with Kabuki, and was dressed in black, to reflect his personality. He also was traditionally armed with a sword, not a naginata. He DID have red hair, though. Kabuki notes: Senryo Kyoshiro is in the Kabuki costume of a lion. Also note that fans are an essential part of Kabuki theater, and used in dances and such. INFO ON KYOSHIRO FROM THE ORIGINAL SS: (From SSfaq v.12.0: Probably Taken From The Home Version Manual) Name: Kyoshiro Senryo Title: The Kabuki Master Origin: Tokyo, Japan Alma Mater: Kabuki Kollege of Dramatics and Stage Chewing, Edo Campus Weapon: Shishi Ha [Lion's Blade] (naginata) Misc. Info: In Japanese literature, Kyoshiro was an actor and a swordsman, though in the game, Kyoshiro uses a naginata, not a sword. Also, his father is Nao Itsu Oba. INFO ON KYOSHIRO FOR SS2: (Taken From The Tapfaq v.3.0: Taken From The Home Version Manual) The Kabuki Master KYOSHIRO SENRYO "I will have your spirit," said the crazed Kabuki student before Kyoshiro resorted to the unspeakable and poked out his eye. A promising student, Kyoshiro searches for the demon who possessed the lad. This master of Kabuki movements is a formidable adversary and lies in wait for demons who seek to destroy the clan of Kabuki. "If you can take my soul, try it. But remember, I'm not getting small. It is the theatre that is!" INFO ON KYOSHIRO FROM SS2 - JAPANESE MANUAL: (Taken From Japanese Manual: Translated By Kenichiro Tanaka) Senryo Kyoshiro =============== "The soul of your "techniques" are mine!" With that, one of his own servants attacked Kyoshiro. He was possessed by a demon. Kyoshiro nimbly evaded the attack and destroyed the demon. "You want my soul? Come and get it if you can!" ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- MISC. INFO: -> If anyone successfully performs their POW super move, the audience in his background claps. -> When choosing to play Kyoshiro, A selects the Red Kyoshiro, and D selects the Blue (and inferior-looking) Kyoshiro. -> When killed by a slash or blood fatality, Kyoshiro spews kabuki fans. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- THE WORDS AND WISDOM OF KYOSHIRO (All translations by Kenichiro Tanaka (tanaka@maya.com)) SPECIAL ATTACKS: - "Kaiten kyokubu" - 'Dance of the Demon' - "Choubijishi" - 'Lion's Tail' - It appears that all Special Attack names are accurately translated in the Special Attacks section. These are just Tanaka's confirmed translations. POW SPECIAL: - "Chiniku no honou." - 'Flame of blood and flesh.' AFTER WINNING: (See WINNING POSES) AFTER LOSING: - "Munen nari." - Approximately, he's saying that he's dying with dreams left unfulfilled. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- WINNING POSES: (Adapted from Tapfaq v.5.0) (All translations from Kenichiro Tanaka (tanaka@maya.com)) In SS2, the way that you hold the joystick at the end of the match determines which winning pose that your character will take. THE POSES: - Fan Flourish: Kyoshiro goes into his jacket and pulls out a fan. The color, ranging from white to red, depends on Kyoshiro's rage gauge. This is similar, if not identical, to his AC taunt. - Pole Spin: Kyoshiro spins his pole around his head, plants his foot, and pivots around. He says, "Tenbatsunari," which translates as, 'This is heaven's punishment (for your crimes).' - Exit Stage Right: Kyoshiro does the Pole Spin and bounces off the stage. He says, "Uchitottari," which translates as, 'I have killed him/her.' HOW TO GET THEM: At the end of the match, hold your joystick in these positions: ARMED: UNARMED: UP: Pole Spin UP: Pole Spin DOWN: Exit Stage Right DOWN: Fan Flourish LEFT: Pole Spin LEFT: Pole Spin RIGHT: Fan Flourish RIGHT: Pole Spin ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- BETWEEN MATCH MESSAGES: (From Tapfaq v.5.0) Quotes: B -- Quote at beginning of game. BM -- Quote before match. AM -- Quote after match. BV -- Quote before mirror match. AV -- Quote after mirror match. I -- Interlude quotes. (J = w/Judge, M = w/Mizuki, A = w/Mizuki and Amakusa) F -- Quotes before final match. B: "My Kabuki spirits'll beat the evil king!" BM: "Go through the real beauty of 'Kabuki' by your death!" AM: "Fight like (you) dance, and win. That's the soul of Kabuki!" BV: "You can't behave like me, even if you imitate my costume!" AV: "What a deplorable 'Kabuki'! Commit 'Harakiri'!" IA: "Hey you, do you have something to say?" "He's awakened!" F: "It's time for the final act!" "I'm dying to dance a Kabuki with (a) demon!" (poor choice of words) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- NON-ATTACK MOVEMENTS: Dash forward -> Joystick forward twice Dash back -> Joystick back twice Fake back -> Joystick back once, forward once Roll forward -> Joystick down diagonal front twice Roll back -> Joystick down diagonal back twice Duck -> Down twice (dodges specials) Hop forward -> Forward BC Hop back -> Backward BC Catch opponent's weapon (unarmed) -> Forward half-circle ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- KYOSHIRO'S TAUNTS: AC - Kyoshiro makes move like going for flaming fan and pulls out a regular fan, which he unfurls. BD - Kyoshiro stands up and takes out a long pipe, lights up, and smokes it. No change with or without weapon. CANCELLING TAUNTS: There are four known ways of having a taunt cancelled: -> Getting hit -> Dashing -> BC hop -> Performing a special move NOTE: For some reason, Kyoshiro's BC taunt CANNOT be cancelled. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- GENERAL STRATEGY: Here are some of the most basic points about how to use Kyoshiro as an effective player: 1) AIR ATTACKS: The air is where Kyoshiro is at his best. He has superior range in the air, and the AB jump and the Dance of the Demon (see SPECIAL MOVES) are devastating attacks. Remember, damage is still doubled in the air, and Kyoshiro can beat nearly everyone in the air. Nine fights out of 10 can be won by waiting for the opponent to jump in on you and then tagging them, especially against the computer. Its that simple. Whether you are jumping back with them or jumping into them from the other side, Kyoshiro runs the show in the air. At full POW, with an AB slash in the air, you can kill someone who is barely hurt. You may even want to eat a couple of projectile attacks in order to get your POW gauge up. The thing I will talk about is the 'K' point. This is the place, a little more than a body length away from your opponent, that you can stand and be at the exact extent of Kyoshiro's range, and thus be out of the range of almost everyone else. If you stay there, you will run the game no matter what. It takes a little practice to get it right, but it is worth it to find this range. For example, if you are at the 'point' and your opponent jumps towards you, jump back and AB him. Most of the time, you will hit, he will not. Its a beautiful thing. In air vs. air combat, the tactics you use should be determined by the situation. Under most circumstances, when you are jumping back with your opponent, you should be using the back-AB. However, when your opponent is jumping TOWARDS you from a great distance, you should use the Dance of the Demon (see SPECIAL MOVES section) to counter him. When an opponent is jumping right on top of you, you should use a jumping D kick. Due to its angle, the D kick can hit even those opponents who are directly over you. Some characters present certain problems with certain air moves. Nicotine's hat A, Hanzo's jump kick, Gen-an's Uppercut, and Charlotte's triangle slash are some of the moves that can give real problems with a standard jump-AB air offence. There are two ways to deal with them. You can either perform a jumping A as soon as possible, which will counter most of these moves, or again turn to the jumping D, which also is a surprisingly effective counter to most all of these moves. When jumping in on an opponent on the ground, however, the jumping-AB is still the way to go. The downward angle of the attack and its range make it a superior attack on ground-based defenders. In certain cases, it should be substituted with a jumping A, B, or kick in order to counteract a long-range anti-air attack with speed, but most of the time, the AB is the way to go. Great damage, great range. 2) GROUND ATTACKS: Kyoshiro isn't shabby at all on the ground either. While its not his natural habitat, he can put on quite a ground campaign. You generally want to keep your distance from opponents because you have reach, so use it. In close, his As and Cs have very high priority, and can quickly back off anyone too close. The crouching far A is one of the best-kept secrets of the game. It has speed and distance, and you can kill the unwary with just that move. If they do come in too close, you can use your pole throw to get them away (see SPECIAL MOVES section). If you stay at the 'K' point, you can nail most people on the ground who are preparing special moves, including Hanzo and Galford. Kyoshiro's duck and dash tactics are similar to everyone else's, except that he has less distance to go because of his reach. Remember to use it to your advantage. Dash or roll in only to the point where you can hit them and they can't hit you. Dashing in and using a variety of Kyoshiro's special attacks is a great tactic. If you dash in and use the same special (Flying Lion's Tail, Dance of Fire) at the same intensity (CD or AB), your opponent will eventually catch on and nail you. Dash in a couple of times using a C Lion's Tail, to the point where the opponent is ready to counter your dashes by blocking and jumping you. Next time in, do an AB Dance of Fire and fry him as he jumps (See SPECIAL MOVES section for more). Or dash in and throw them away on the pole. Use your judgement. The point is to mix it up. Kyoshiro's got the depth to do this. You should stay airborne, but you can pull off a ground offensive if you need to change the pace against humans. Defensively on the ground, the crouching A is the way to go. It has speed, range, and priority. It will stop most dashes and rollers in their tracks. It a great keep-back move, plus it can be easily go from a defensive maneuver to the beginning of an offensive. Kyoshiro also has great flexibility with ground-based anti-air attacks. His back-AB is the common attack of choice to catch opponents in the air. You can also wait to attack AS they are hitting the ground with a crouching B or AB, or quicker slashes or kicks in sequence if your timing is not as good. All this can be augmented by many of his special attacks such as the Dance of Fire or the Kabuki Swirl that can hit your opponent before or as he hits the ground (see SPECIAL ATTACKS section). 3) UNARMED FIGHTING: Kyoshiro is one of the best unarmed fighters in the game because he can still use many of his powers without his weapon, unlike characters like Ukyo and Charlotte who are useless without their weapons, and some of his unarmed attacks have RANGE as well as speed. Plus, his unarmed AB has TWO HIT capability. Remember that you can only use C, D, and CD throws when you are unarmed. Also, catching the opponents weapon can do some devastating damage, but is a trick to get right. Well worth the practice though. Unarmed tactics can go to either stalling until the return of the weapon, or mounting an attack weaponless. Stalling is perhaps the easiest of the choices. You can stall by throwing fans and kabuki flames (see SPECIAL ATTACKS section) to keep opponents away until the weapon returns. Your unarmed A hair toss actually has RANGE that can keep ground attacks away from you. You still have the jumping D kick which can counter almost all incoming air attacks. You can roll back and let loose with special attacks, and just roll away. Your normal speed is now augmented, so you can run faster than your opponent can. Going on the attack has its advantages as well. Unarmed, you get priorities on most attacks, so you can get away with some pretty nasty Bs and ABs, and your As and Cs should beat EVERYTHING. If you dash or roll in close, kicking is the best. The low CD kick is especially good if you are trying to drive someone back, and A or C them to death in a corner. Remember your access to many special attacks that can still be used. While the attacks you are left with leave you mostly ground-based, they are still quite effective for following up barrages of attacks. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- NORMAL ATTACK MOVEMENTS: -SLASHES- -KICKS- -STANDING FAR- -STANDING FAR- A - Twirl Pole C - Weak Pole Kick B - Thrust D - High Pole Kick AB - Arc Slash CD - Twirling Pole Kick -STANDING CLOSE- -STANDING CLOSE- A - Spin With Pole C - Front Kick (weak) B - Forward Slash D - Front Kick (med.) AB - Upward Slash (2 hits) CD - Front Kick (strong) -CROUCHING FAR- -CROUCHING FAR- A - Weak Low Thrust C - Low Kick (weak) B - Medium Low Thrust D - Low Kick (med.) AB - Strong Low Thrust CD - Leg Sweep -CROUCHING CLOSE- -CROUCHING CLOSE- A - Fan Smack (weak) C - Weak Low Kick B - Fan Smack (med.) D - Medium Low Kick AB - Low Thrust CD - Leg Sweep -JUMPING UP- -JUMPING UP- A - Weak Downward Thrust C - Side Kick (weak) B - Medium Thrust D - Side Kick (med.) AB - Upward Slash (2 Hits) CD - Lunging Side Kick -JUMPING AT ANGLE- -JUMPING AT ANGLE- A - Weak Downward Thrust C - Downward Kick (weak) B - Medium Downward Thrust D - Downward Kick (med.) AB - Strong Downward Thrust CD - Lunging Side Kick -UNARMED SLASHES- -STANDING FAR- A - Hair Throw B - Short Hand Thrust AB - Double Hand Thrust (2 Hits) -STANDING CLOSE- A - Short Hand Thrust (weak) B - Short Hand Thrust (med.) AB - Short Hand Thrust (strong) -CROUCHING FAR AND CLOSE- A - Short Hand Thrust (weak) B - Short Hand Thrust (med.) AB - Short Hand Thrust (strong) -JUMPING UP OR AT ANGLE- A - Short Hand Thrust (weak) B - Short Hand Thrust (med.) AB - Short Hand Thrust (strong) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- CONTINUED IN PART 2 Damone (damone@ios.com)