Melty Blood/MBTL/Kouma Kishima: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 02:24, 19 August 2022

Story

Head of the Kishima clan, a branch of the Tohno family. He is half demon. Even among mixed-bloods, his demon blood is strong, making him only barely human. Usually very quiet, he chooses to live as a hermit in a remote area of the mountains where he seeks to achieve spiritual enlightenment. Because of this, he often speaks of worldly ties and spirituality. His demeanor in battle, however, reflects his innate strength and demon blood. His ability to use Scorching Heat means those in his way are often burned to ash.

Gameplay

Kouma is a grounded brawler/grappler with an armor gimmick who plays a close-ranged punish game.

He is a hard-hitting character who boasts many options when he's up close to the opponent, from 2 command grabs (one fast, one delayed) to scare overly defensive opponents, a meterless DP reversal, Double Comet, that can be used while airborne, and various armored normals and specials that allow him to take hits and still lands punishes in ways most other characters can only dream of.

His air game, on the other hand, is quite limited; he has slow air-dashes, he can't chain his air normal attacks together, and he loses his air options after whiffing a j.A. With no reliable ranged tools, he has to stay mostly on the ground and fish for the opponent's mistakes in neutral in order to approach. Thankfully, he has many ways to convert stray hits into knockdown/corner carry thanks to his vast array of ground-bounce specials and Moon Skills at his disposal. His damage output per hit is also top-notch, turning the tide of battle on a good read with an explosive combo.

Aspiring Kouma players who take the time to learn his matchups and the fighting game concept of conditioning will be richly rewarded.

Strengths	Weaknesses
Hits Hard: Kouma has high damage combos into strong okizeme enders on almost any normal, with or without Counter Hit, giving him the potential to kill enemies in only a few touches. Tanking Factor & Defense: Kouma has multiple armored tools ([C] normals, 236C, 214B, 22X series), and paired with his invincible options, he can blow through many things on both offense and defense. Very Strong Okizeme: Kouma can consistently get great knockdowns without having to spend meter, allowing him to consistently run different setups for high, low, crossup, and command grab mixups that cover numerous options to get some of the best non-projectile okizeme in the entire game. Proficient Meter Usage: Kouma doesn't need to spend much meter, if at all for neutral, good conversions, or okizeme. When he does use it, it is very easy to implement and is strong for all aspects of his gameplan, making many situations where he has resources precarious for the opponent even if they are at the advantage.	Subpar Neutral: Despite his archetype benefitting heavily from the universal Melty Blood movement mechanics, Kouma still has below-average jump startup and airdash speed. He also has no outstanding mobility specials and his moves are generally lacking in ranged presence as well, making it harder for him to approach and contest some characters in neutral. Bad Air Game: Kouma cannot chain nor jump cancel his air normals, meaning he has to go from a single aerial into air throw, j.6B+C, or nothing. He also does not retain his air options after j.A. Both of these things mean that "air blockstrings" are out of the question for him, and make his attempts at aerial presence either very committal or downright nonexistent against some characters.

HP Value: -

Backdash: -

Movement Speed: -

Character Summary

Move list

Moon Skill

6B+C - Triple Comet

3B+C - Double Comet

4B+C - Crushing Blow

2B+C - Godly Armor

j.6B+C - Double Comet

Special Attacks

236A/B/C (EX OK) - Triple Comet

> A/B/C - Additional input 1

> 4A/B/C - Additional input 2

> A/B/C - Additional input 3

> 4A/B/C - Additional input 4

623A/B/C (EX OK) - Double Comet

> A/B/C - Additional input 1

214A/B/C (EX OK) - Crushing Blow

> 4A/B/C - Crushing Blow - Wandering Monk

> 236C/214C (EX-Only) - Unicorn - Purifying Flame

22A/B/C (EX OK) - Godly Armor

j.236A/B/C (EX OK) - Double Comet

> A/B/C - Additional input

Arc Drive: 236B+C - Unicorn - Flame Waltz
Last Arc: A+B+C+D / D in Blood Heat - Judgement of Yama
Unique Attacks: 3C
Blowback Edge Moves: 5[C], 2[C], j.[C]

Stats & vitals

Dash startup: 7

Dash actionable: 9

Jump startup: 5

Jump airtime: 37

Quick combo reference

2A Universal BnB: 2A > 2C > 5C > 5B > 236A~A~A, 2B > 2C > 5CC > 214A

Basic Shield Counter combo: D > A > jB > j6BC, land 2A > 5CCC > 214A

Basic 2B Anti-Air combo: 2B > dl.5B > dl.5C > dl.236BBB > Ender

Move Analysis

Normal Moves

Standing Normals

5A

Hitboxes Off

Hitboxes On

/Data#5A

5A

Damage	Guard	Cancel	Property	Cost	Attribute
190	LH	N, SP, EX, MD	-	-	Whiff OK
First Active	Active	Recovery	Overall	Advantage	Invul
5	2	11	17	-1	-

Kouma's fastest normal together with 2A. Due to the nature of Rebeat, you'll be spending a lot of time canceling back into this normal for better frame advantage in blockstrings.

While most of the time you'll be using 2A due to it sharing the same framedata, 5A has a few of strengths on it's own. It's high hitbox and speed lets you hit the opponent out of the air where other normals won't hit, and it deals marginally better damage than 2A making it more optimal for Punishes. Of course it's also a prime normal to tick throw with, and with proper conditioning it can make your opponent (quite literally) jumpy which opens them up to Lows and other options.

Whiff cancels available from frame 10 onwards (frame 10 is the first frame of the whiff cancelled move).

5B

Hitboxes Off

Hitboxes On

/Data#5B

5B

Damage	Guard	Cancel	Property	Cost	Attribute
510	LH	N, SP, EX, MD	-	-	-
First Active	Active	Recovery	Overall	Advantage	Invul
11	4	17	31	-6	-

Relatively slow, forward moving normal. Even at max range will connect into 5C and 2C for pressure or hitconfirms. True blockstring from A normals, with just a slight delay becomes a frametrap.

Combo material, as it deals good damage and it moving forward makes it useful in Rekka juggles for spacing and height.

5C

Hitboxes Off

Hitboxes On

/Data#5C

5C

Damage	Guard	Cancel	Property	Cost	Attribute
680	LH	N, SP, EX, MD	-	-	-
First Active	Active	Recovery	Overall	Advantage	Invul
9 ~ 19	8	22	38 ~ 48	-13	-

Fast, forward moving normal. Faster than 5B and longer reach, but higher recovery. At max distance, Reverse Beating into 5B won't connect, but 2C does. VERY long active frames, which allows for an easy emergency meaty or punishing backdashes in re-beat situations (i.e. 5B > 5A > delay 5C).

Good normal for damage in Punishes, and a big hitbox making it consistent in combos. Due to the high recovery, poking is risky and it's very negative on block.

/Data#5[C]

5[C]

Damage	Guard	Cancel	Property	Cost	Attribute
1767	U	-	WB, SK	-	-
First Active	Active	Recovery	Overall	Advantage	Invul
28	4	26	57	N/A	18-28 Armor

Can be Shielded standing (5D)

Charged 5C is an unblockable hitgrab with Armor. The start-up is significantly longer, and when it connects it throws the opponent a long distance behind Kouma into a techable Knockdown. If Kouma's back is to the wall, it's possible to get a combo, but it is range specific. Can still catch backdashes, albeit with different setups. Mashing and meterless reversals are also rather ineffective against this move due to the armor.

Can act as a knowledge check when used as a meaty against people waking up since blocking, jumping, low shield, any non-invincible button and even heat activation when spaced correctly will lose against it.

Due to it throwing the opponent away from Kouma with no chance of a follow-up, it's a rather gimmicky move, but still useful for checking your opponent's reactions and closing out rounds.

Crouching Normals

2A

+

Now hits low!

Hitboxes Off

Hitboxes On

/Data#2A

2A

Damage	Guard	Cancel	Property	Cost	Attribute
180	L	N, SP, EX, MD	-	-	Whiff OK
First Active	Active	Recovery	Overall	Advantage	Invul
5	2	11	17	-1	-

Kouma's fastest normal together with 5A. Same deal with 5A, Rebeating into this normal to improve frame advantage. Can be done 3 times in a row before it goes into Rapid.

Having access to a fast repeatable Low is quite a blessing for a Grappler as the opponent is naturally inclined to try and jump or backdash out of pressure, both of which requires them to stop holding down. 2A is only -1 on block, which lets Kouma threaten with pressure resets and tick throws. Even if multiple 2As are used as a hit confirm, Kouma's combos are incredibly consistent and will work regardless.

Whiff cancels available from frame 10 onwards (frame 10 is the first frame of the whiff cancelled move).

2B

+

Everything and the Kitchen Sink

Hitboxes Off

Hitboxes On

/Data#2B

2B

Damage	Guard	Cancel	Property	Cost	Attribute
460	LH	N, SP, EX, MD	-	-	-
First Active	Active	Recovery	Overall	Advantage	Invul
7	4	16	26	-5	Air 5-10

A fast Anti-Air and useful combo tool. Strong hitbox, but doesn't cover directly above Kouma leaving him open to cross-ups and approaches from that angle. Generally one of Kouma's best normals.

Has numerous uses, but most notable as an alternative to 3C as it is faster, safer on whiff and block, grants greater reward on hit, and has a strong hitbox to hurtbox ratio. On top of being really strong at shutting down air approaches, it's also useful in combos as a filler to move the opponent upwards to optimal Rekka height and being able to pick up the opponent after such combos into his 214A ender.

2C

+

Start Using Sweep

Hitboxes Off

Hitboxes On

/Data#2C

2C

Damage	Guard	Cancel	Property	Cost	Attribute
680	L	N, SP, EX, MD	HK, L	-	-
First Active	Active	Recovery	Overall	Advantage	Invul
10 ~ 16	5	21	35 ~ 41	-9	-

A fast, forward moving sweep. At max range connects to 5B and 5C on hit, but not 5B on block. Also inexplicably has a hitbox that can hit behind himself. Very nice for footsies, and all rebeats whiffs to 5A/2A from this button are -1, but still mind the recovery on whiff and low hitbox.

Also incredibly good for catching backdashes in pressure due to its range, and in such a situation it can still go into a full combo easily.

Kouma's primary combo tool. Launches the opponent and sets up for both Rekka and IAD combos.

/Data#2[C]

2[C]

Damage	Guard	Cancel	Property	Cost	Attribute
1000	L	N, SP, EX, MD	HK, L	-	-
First Active	Active	Recovery	Overall	Advantage	Invul
24	6	18	47	-7	15-24 Armor

Moves Kouma forward further than 2C

Charged 2C has armor, increased range, and damage at the cost of significantly longer start-up. Still retains the reverse hitbox.

A slow but powerful low. Can be used to catch people in neutral by brute forcing your way in and to tech chase. When paired with the threat of IAD it becomes more potent, just be careful about whiffing the move and take care so the opponent doesn't Shield it.

Jumping Normals

Kouma's Air normals can not be chained together. Any Attack Button after the initial one will result in Air Throw. It's possible for the Air Throw to whiff due to Kouma's Air Normals having longer range and hitting higher than the Air Throw Range. Additionally, he cannot jump cancel any of his air normals. Because of his inability to create air blockstrings and hitconfirms, he can't really threaten the opponent the same way other characters can and will be forced to either just take the air throw ender, commit to j.6B+C, or rely on getting air Counter Hits. Despite this, Kouma has access to some strong Air Normals to poke with or create a wall of Hitboxes to make it difficult to go through.

j.A

Aerial

Hitboxes Off

Hitboxes On

/Data#jA

jA

Damage	Guard	Cancel	Property	Cost	Attribute
370	HA	SP, EX, MD, TH	-	-	-
First Active	Active	Recovery	Overall	Advantage	Invul
5	4	20	28	-	-

Fastest air normal. Long range for an A normal with an upwards facing hitbox. As Kouma's fastest normal with good range, it's his best way to snipe an opponents above him. Has a tendency to whiff on crouchers unless performed very late into a jump or IAD.

Can also be used when you intentionally don't want the opponent to be stuck in Blockstun for too long. A common strategy against Grapplers, especially in games with plenty of Throw Invul after Blockstun and Knockdown, is to block for a few frames and then commit to a reversal or escape option while in Blockstun. This lets them relatively safely block a Hit coming in while at the same time letting them either punish or avoid Throws. So a good way to deal with this is vary up the timing as much as possible to throw them off.

This is where j.A and the like come in. After IADs, Safe Jumps, or Oki by mixing up what normals you use the opponent will have a much harder time setting up a response to your Offense.

j.B

Aerial

Hitboxes Off

Hitboxes On

/Data#jB

jB

Damage	Guard	Cancel	Property	Cost	Attribute
510	HA	SP, EX, MD, TH	-	-	-
First Active	Active	Recovery	Overall	Advantage	Invul
6	6	24	35	-	-

Fast air poke with a lot of active frames. Less committal than j.C and slightly longer reach with a forward reaching hitbox.

j.C

Aerial

Prepare to see this a lot

Hitboxes Off

Hitboxes On

/Data#jC

jC

Damage	Guard	Cancel	Property	Cost	Attribute
650	HA	SP, EX, MD, TH	-	-	-
First Active	Active	Recovery	Overall	Advantage	Invul
11 ~ 17	6	22	38 ~ 44	-	-

Slow and large air normal. Hitbox reaching downwards. Kouma's proper jump-in normal and IAD air normal.

As Kouma's biggest air normal, it commands a lot of presence when paired with j.[C], and smart use of both will let Kouma have a rather basic but powerful air approach.

/Data#j[C]

j[C]

Damage	Guard	Cancel	Property	Cost	Attribute
1300	HA	SP, EX, MD, TH	GB, L	-	-
First Active	Active	Recovery	Overall	Advantage	Invul
20	6	22	47	-	15-20 Armor

Ground Bounces

Charged j.C has armor, increased range, and damage at the cost of significantly longer start-up.

The big one, the Online Special. Kouma can seemingly force himself in through just about everything with this move thanks to the large hitbox and armor. On hit it launches the opponent for big damage without consuming his Ground Bounce. However, keep in mind that the Armor takes a while to begin and during that time Kouma is completely open to be attacked. On top of that EX Moves, Shield, and Air Throw will completely beat the armor. It being a Charge normal also lets you pull off some sneaky attacks. You can intentionally do a fake out by charging the move and landing before it hits, such as after an IAD. If the opponent is conditioned to block the move or retaliate with a Shield, it leaves them open to be grabbed or hit by Lows.

By properly mixing it up with j.C and other normals it can be become quite difficult to safely stop Kouma, forcing the opponent to take bigger reads against him.

Command Normals

3C

+

Hitboxes Off

Hitboxes On

/Data#3C

3C

Damage	Guard	Cancel	Property	Cost	Attribute
780	LH	-	LR	-	-
First Active	Active	Recovery	Overall	Advantage	Invul
10	3	24	36	-10	Air 5-12

Slightly lower hurtbox on frames 7-11
Has some head invulnerability

Generic Launcher, special cancelable on block.

Important in specific long combos where the opponent drops out of the Rapid launcher. Even in high hitstun decay, it will connect after 2C and 5C for optimal damage. Keep in mind that due to Kouma's lack of air combos and no real air combo ender outside Air Throw, his oki options afterward will be limited.

Universal Mechanics

Rapid Beat 2

Lua error in Module:MoveDataParser at line 88: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
Ground Bounces R Us

Lua error in Module:MoveDataParser at line 86: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).

Hitboxes Off

Hitboxes On

No results

The first hit of Rapid Beat performed by pressing an attack button you have already used in the current string. Ground bounces the opponent on both ground or air hit. Inputting any normal after this move will perform the launcher ender. Has a high hitbox.

Primarily combo filler to confirm into 214A, but due to launching the opponent it's possible to get midscreen Rekka confirms off it.

Rapid Beat 3

Lua error in Module:MoveDataParser at line 88: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).

Lua error in Module:MoveDataParser at line 86: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).

Hitboxes Off

Hitboxes On

No results

Last hit of Rapid. Same animation as 3C.

In high hitstun decay, it won't reliably connect after Rapid 2 unless it hits high up. Generally, Kouma doesn't have much use for this launcher except in certain optimal damage combos.

Ground Throw

throw

/

+

Lower Risk for Lower Reward

Hitboxes Off

Hitboxes On

/Data#4/6AD

4/6AD

Damage	Guard	Cancel	Property	Cost	Attribute
1500/1875	N/A	-	HK	-	-
First Active	Active	Recovery	Overall	Advantage	Invul
4	3	19	25	+55	-

Generic normal throw. Drops the opponent in front and close to Kouma.

Due to having access to multiple Command Grabs with greater reward, Kouma generally doesn't see much use out of his Throw. It's however less committal than the Grabs, slightly faster, and the short auto run it does ensures that it will reliably connect, making it a safe option for when you're not sure if the opponent will jump or not.

Air Throw

airthrow

Aerial

/

+

Hitboxes Off

Hitboxes On

/Data#j4/6AD

j4/6AD

Damage	Guard	Cancel	Property	Cost	Attribute
1200	U	-	HK	-	-
First Active	Active	Recovery	Overall	Advantage	Invul
1	3	-	-	-	-

Does more damage when performed raw

Standard Melty Air Throw. Throws the opponent straight down while Kouma gets launch backwards a bit. The lower to the ground it connects, the better frame advantage Kouma gets afterwards.

Universal air combo ender. Deals good damage, but poor oki afterwards.

Special Moves

Triple Comet

Kouma's Rekka series. His primary combo tool. Proper use of Triple Comet will let Kouma deal high damage and loop back to his preferred combo ender of choice. The different versions of Triple Comet are mostly the same with the largest difference being the length they travel, with some small changes to frame data. Most combos use one of the two version depending on range and timing, and such things will be detailed in the combo section. The entire Rekka, regardless of what version is used, can be a true blockstring.

Triple Comet

+

Hitboxes Off

Hitboxes On

/Data#236A

236A

Damage	Guard	Cancel	Property	Cost	Attribute
1000	LH	EX, MD	-	-	-
First Active	Active	Recovery	Overall	Advantage	Invul
10	4	22	35	-7	-

Press any button with the stick in neutral or while holding 4 up to two more times to continue the rekka series.

Your average rekka. Kouma uses these for some mild midscreen control and pressure extension.

This rekka starter will most likely be the one you'll be using most of the time in combos. Combos cleanly from all of Kouma's normals on both standing and airborne hit.

/Data#236B

236B

Damage	Guard	Cancel	Property	Cost	Attribute
1000	LH	EX, MD	-	-	-
First Active	Active	Recovery	Overall	Advantage	Invul
11 ~ 18	4	22	36 ~ 43	-7	-

B Rekka starter. Minutely slower than the A version, and it travels further.

The increased travel allows it extend combos at ranges where 236A~X~X will not.

/Data#236X~X

236X~X

Damage	Guard	Cancel	Property	Cost	Attribute
1000	LH	EX, MD	-	-	-
First Active	Active	Recovery	Overall	Advantage	Invul
11	3	25	38	-9	-

Rekka extender. No difference depending on what button is pressed. Not very special, unique use is for frametrapping after the rekka starter is blocked.

/Data#236X~4X

236X~4X

Damage	Guard	Cancel	Property	Cost	Attribute
1000	LH	EX, MD	-	-	-
First Active	Active	Recovery	Overall	Advantage	Invul
11	3	23	36	-7	-

Rekka extender. No difference depending on what button is pressed. Same as 236X~X, except travels less distance and better frame data on block.

/Data#236X~X/4X~X

236X~X/4X~X

Damage	Guard	Cancel	Property	Cost	Attribute
1100	H	EX, MD	GB, L	-	-
First Active	Active	Recovery	Overall	Advantage	Invul
14	5	A7 + 12L (19 Total)	37	-7	-

Rekka ender. Overhead. Consumes Ground Bounce if available. Sends the opponent away.

A Version: Less distance traveled. B Version: More distance traveled.

Key part of Kouma's combos, as the ground bounce allows for a pick-up at sufficient height. Normally this won't allow for a combo after outside the corner, but most combos utilizing this move have it travel under the opponent for a side-switch and hit them from behind, resulting in the opponent landing right next to Kouma allowing for a follow-up. On Counter Hit, allows for a follow-up in the corner.

/Data#236X~X/4X~4X

236X~X/4X~4X

Damage	Guard	Cancel	Property	Cost	Attribute
1000	H	EX, MD	GB, L	-	-
First Active	Active	Recovery	Overall	Advantage	Invul
14	5	A4 + 12L (16 Total)	34	-4	-

Rekka ender. Overhead. Consumes Ground Bounce if available. Safer on block. Travels less distance. Deals less damage. Sends the opponent away significantly less distance.

Same as the other version, this one allows for a pick-up on hit at sufficient height. The main difference is that it doesn't require a side-switch nor a back hit for it to work, letting Kouma get midscreen combos without losing corner carry. This version also has the added benefit of being safe on block due to the improved frame data and less distance traveled, acting as Kouma's safe pressure ender if need be.

/Data#236C

236C

Damage	Guard	Cancel	Property	Cost	Attribute
1080*3 (2602)	LH	AD, MD	WB+, BS, HK, L	1 Magic Circuit	-
First Active	Active	Recovery	Overall	Advantage	Invul
4+7	8	23	41	-15/-10	3-15 Armor

EX Edge. No Rekka follow-ups. Wall Bounces the opponent.

Unlike the normal versions, 236C is just one move with no follow-ups. Sends the opponent far away for a knockdown. Will wall bounce if they reach the corner, allowing for a pick-up.

Deals a lot of damage, and can be used in dump meter in combos for high damage.

Double Comet

Kouma's DP. Mostly useful as a reversal but can be used as a high reaching anti-air and the EX version has use as a combo ender in long combos. Meterless versions have a followup that can be used to add more damage or catch opponents attempting to punish the A version. Meterless versions can be comboed off if they fatal counter a high up opponent.

Double Comet

+

File:-

Hitboxes Off

Hitboxes On

/Data#623A

623A

Damage	Guard	Cancel	Property	Cost	Attribute
550*2 (1039)	LH	EX, MD	L	-	-
First Active	Active	Recovery	Overall	Advantage	Invul
6	6 (2) 3	18A + 12L (30 Total)	47	-17	-

Has no invincibility and doesn't go as high, but can be whiff canceled into the followup or j.236C. Mainly useful as an anti-air but can link into lights from the A followup.

/Data#623B

623B

Damage	Guard	Cancel	Property	Cost	Attribute
700*2 (1302)	LH	EX, MD	L	-	-
First Active	Active	Recovery	Overall	Advantage	Invul
6	6 (2) 3	27A + 12L (39 Total)	55	-25	1-13 All

Fully invincible reversal. Goes higher into the air than 623A, but cannot be whiff canceled making it incredibly punishable. Useful for obvious reasons. On hit it can be confirmed into j.236C for a combo into oki, although it will be heavily scaled.

/Data#623C

623C

Damage	Guard	Cancel	Property	Cost	Attribute
640*7 (2098)	LH	MD	L, HK	1 Magic Circuit	-
First Active	Active	Recovery	Overall	Advantage	Invul
4+1	6 (2) 4 10	42A + 18L (60 Total)	76	-23	1-16 All

High hitting fully invincible reversal. Does a good amount of damage and gives a hard knockdown on grounded opponents. Can be used situationally after two rekkas to get a hard knockdown. Has a tendency to miss opponents when used out of the corner.

/Data#623X~X

623X~X

Damage	Guard	Cancel	Property	Cost	Attribute
850	LHA	EX, MD	GB, L	-	-
First Active	Active	Recovery	Overall	Advantage	Invul
12	2	10A ~ 16A + 12L (22 ~ 28 Total)	35 ~ 41	-7 ~ -13	-

Followup kick. Mainly just to add damage, confirm a combo, or catch an opponent after 623A.

Crushing Blow

Kouma's Command Grab series. This very well may be the most important special in his moveset. As always, it's a potent mix-up option, but finds new utility in this game as it can now grab opponents in hitstun, making it an important tool in combos. His command grabs can be used to break through the defense of respectful players, force its way through disrespectful ones, create strong okizeme situations, be used as a combo extender and ender, or as a defensive measure to punish gaps in pressure or unsafe moves. His command grabs also innately serve as one of his best ways to call out Shield attempts. All command throws grant a hard knockdown on their own. This move will be your BNB, even after you learn the BNB.

Crushing Blow

+

The Fast One (214A)

File:-
Delayed, but Armored (214B)

Kouma becomes a b-baller (214C)

214X~4X

214X~236/214C

Hitboxes Off

Hitboxes On

/Data#214A

214A

Damage	Guard	Cancel	Property	Cost	Attribute
1400/1540	U	-	HK	-	-
First Active	Active	Recovery	Overall	Advantage	Invul
5/6	1/1	25	31	+65	1-6 Throw

Quick command grab
Range is shorter than it appears
Can be combo'd into on opponents in hitstun
Can cancel into followups immediately on hit

214A is Kouma's fastest command grab, and serves as a respectable mix-up tool and combo option. This is the one that you'll be using a majority of the time, due to the utility. It should also be noted that it is just as fast as A normals, and will out-prioritize them within the right ranges, but when used this way is a big risk and should NOT be used to replace your 5A/2A.

Once you manage to get an opponent blocking, 214A is very useful for tick throws as it can demand some risky or expensive options to avoid that Kouma can exploit. It's also particularly good for calling out opponents who like to Shield on defense, as it's one of Kouma's few moves that don't require a proper guess or read to punish that option. Note however that the long throw protection on wakeup and from blockstun means meaty throws will get you punished, and tick throws are hard to time.

In combos, this move is an absolute staple. It can be used to start combos if Kouma has his back to a corner close enough, and can be used mid-combo to sideswitch to gain better positioning and still continue. Specifically as a combo ender, it is his best meterless ender, as it can easily be used at almost any point in a combo by chaining into Rapid Beat normal 1, and then into 214A, with the resulting okizeme situation allowing him to time safejumps and potential mix-ups afterward.

/Data#214B

214B

Damage	Guard	Cancel	Property	Cost	Attribute
1400/1540	U	-	HK	-	-
First Active	Active	Recovery	Overall	Advantage	Invul
21/22	1/1	23	45	+65	1-22 Throw, 9-23 Armor

Delayed, super-armored grab
Slightly more range than 214A

Armored delay grab. Has use in calling out opponents who like to mash and/or shield on wakeup or from pressure. Significantly easier to "tick throw" with than 214A, although good players will know how to break the armor. Particularly weak to metered options, but making your opponent feel inclined to burn resources in fear of one move or situation is a benefit nonetheless.

Far too slow to be useful in combos, stick to 214A for that.

/Data#214C

214C

Damage	Guard	Cancel	Property	Cost	Attribute
2300/2530	U	MD	HK, GB	1 Magic Circuit	-
First Active	Active	Recovery	Overall	Advantage	Invul
4+1/2	1/1	32	38	+55	1-6 All

Reversal grab
Furthest range grab
Moon Drive cancellable on dunk

Very long range invincible command grab, the fabled slam dunk. It is not 0 after superflash, reducing it's use to reversals and ending combos, although it still does a great job of both of those. Has incredible range so it can catch even spaced normals. Great at catching opponents who like to stagger normals during pressure, and punishing safejump setups and Option Selects that 22C or 623B/C would lose to.

In combos, it works as a high damage ender that leads to hard knock down, albeit weaker than 214A/B. At the cost of Moon Gauge, it can even be used as an expensive reversal starter, since it is surprisingly Kouma's only command grab that can be Moon Drive cancelled.

/Data#214X~4X

214X~4X

Damage	Guard	Cancel	Property	Cost	Attribute
1600/1760	-	-	WB, SK	-	-
First Active	Active	Recovery	Overall	Advantage	Invul
14	4	22	49	+4 ~ Tech Option	-

Side-switch followup

Followup from the regular throws. When used in midscreen it can be teched, but with your back to the corner, it causes a wall bounce leading to a combo. This can be done to extend BNBs even and is great for damage.

/Data#214X~236C/214C

214X~236C/214C

Damage	Guard	Cancel	Property	Cost	Attribute
2000/2200	MD	-	HK	-	-
First Active	Active	Recovery	Overall	Advantage	Invul
10+24	3	34	70	+66	-

Meter burn followup

1 bar followup to regular throws. Adds a good amount of damage that has a high minimum scaling, but it's only really worth using if you think it'll add enough damage to kill.

Launches the opponent far away for a long knockdown regardless of how long the preceding combo was, leading to good okizeme in or near the corner.

Godly Armor

Kouma's armored anti-air. It retains the same uses it had in older games as an armored crossup anti-air, gimmicky command dash, and even more gimmicky armor. However, it has new use as a combo extender and semi-invincible reversal.

Godly Armor

+

Armored Anti-Air and Blockstring Tool

Armored Command Dash

Ignorance 101

Hitboxes Off

Hitboxes On

/Data#22A

22A

Damage	Guard	Cancel	Property	Cost	Attribute
1200	LH	EX, MD	L, SK	-	-
First Active	Active	Recovery	Overall	Advantage	Invul
10	4	24	37	+1	8-17 Armor

Armored, advantageous stomp

Base version. Primary version to use as an anti-air since it's less committal and is air unblockable. However, it can only be comboed off on counter hit.

It also serves the purpose of being Kouma's only plus on block move, although this is somewhat hard to use thanks to the moves short horizontal range and pushback.

It's one of his only ways to true blockstring into 22C if you want the armor.

/Data#22B

22B

Damage	Guard	Cancel	Property	Cost	Attribute
1200	LH	EX, MD	L, SK	-	-
First Active	Active	Recovery	Overall	Advantage	Invul
10	4	28	41	-3	8-37 Armor

Command dash stomp

The same as 22A but with an added command dash. The dash has some super armor although this is very easy to beat, making it not that good as a mobility tool, but it can still be useful for going through projectiles in neutral. On anti-air, if gotten low enough to the ground it's possible to combo it into 5A.

During pressure, if your opponent is conditioned enough, you can mix up your pressure resets by adding 22A (+1, no dash) and this move (-3, advances), since those two moves look the same on startup but require two different responses. 22B can also set up for a tick command throws that will go through mashing with either 22C armor active, or 214C, putting your opponent into more guessing game situations.

Its more common use is as a combo extender. From starters that use up a ground bounce, such as 6BC, rekka can't be used as an extender. Instead, 22B can be used during a juggle to link into 5A, adding more damage. Make sure to check the combo section to see which starters require you to use it.

/Data#22C

22C

Damage	Guard	Cancel	Property	Cost	Attribute
920*3 (2308)	LHA	AD, MD	L, HK	1 Magic Circuit	-
First Active	Active	Recovery	Overall	Advantage	Invul
4+19	8	23	53	+0	1-12 All, 13-276 Armor

Reversal and install stomp
Large hitbox that fully surrounds Kouma
Grants super armor for 4 seconds

Kouma's biggest gimmick move. 22C is invincible for half of its startup before switching to Armor, giving it some use as a reversal, although it's so slow that outside of air dashes and particularly committal moves to whiff it can be Shielded or thrown on reaction. However, it's only 0 on block and gives Kouma 4 seconds of armor (indicated with an orange glow), quickly turning initiative onto him if respected. If the stomp manages to hit an opponent, it can deal over 2000 damage raw, to compound to its utility. This is mostly a knowledge check, as he can still be thrown or hit with an EX move or super, but it can be used to force your way in if the opponent doesn't have meter and act ignorant against unaware opponents. This move is a part of why Kouma is so proficient in using his meter; he can use 22C in almost any advantageous position to gain the armor and seal up a lot of natural holes in both pressure and okizeme for Kouma that no other character can match, and force the opponent to take committal and potentially expensive measures to fight back.

It is important that you remember that you are mortal; Kouma still receives full damage and can die in this state. Don't get careless on your approach, the armor does not replace blocking. Past the standard counterplay, your opponent can still keep you locked in hitstop with projectiles and rack up damage if you choose not to block, or kill you before you can blow through their moves if you're at low health.

On hit, it will launch the opponent into the air where they can tech and get away, but you can get a combo if you are willing to spend Moon Drive.

Double Comet (air)

Unlike it's grounded counterpart, the air DP has no invincinbility on any version while retaining the same long recovery. However, both A and B can be whiff canceled. Mainly used as an air combo extender when you really need the extra damage to kill. j.236C however is a multi-use move that is integral to his pressure.

Double Comet (air)

Aerial

+

High Damage Combo Ender

Multi-Purpose Tool

Hitboxes Off

Hitboxes On

/Data#j236A

j236A

Damage	Guard	Cancel	Property	Cost	Attribute
690*2 (1283)	LHA	EX, MD	L	-	-
First Active	Active	Recovery	Overall	Advantage	Invul
6	5	18A (TK) + 12L	40 (TK)	-16 (TK)	-

Lowest damage and reaching version. Only used when scaling is so high j.236B won't combo.

/Data#j236B

j236B

Damage	Guard	Cancel	Property	Cost	Attribute
710*2 (1313)	LHA	EX, MD	L	-	-
First Active	Active	Recovery	Overall	Advantage	Invul
8	5	23A(TK) + 12L	47(TK)	-21(TK)	-

More damage and further reach.

/Data#j236C

j236C

Damage	Guard	Cancel	Property	Cost	Attribute
640*7 (2132)	LHA	MD	L, HK	1 Magic Circuit	-
First Active	Active	Recovery	Overall	Advantage	Invul
4+3	2 (2) 3 (1) 10	21A(TK) + 12L	46(TK)	+4(TK)	-

Leaves a lingering multi-hit projectile

Very good move that has several uses. When done off a tk, 623A, or the last rekka, it's +1-2 on block. Additionally, when done in these situations you can activate Moon Drive to set up a high low 50/50.

It can also be used as a combo extender off situational starters. These include 623B and the last hit of rekka. On hit, it's possible to dash forward and continue a combo into 214A oki.

It's also used as a high damage combo ender. When you really need a kill for one bar, j.236B ~ B > j.236C will often get the job done.

/Data#j236X~X

j236X~X

Damage	Guard	Cancel	Property	Cost	Attribute
1500	LHA	EX, MD	L, SK	-	-
First Active	Active	Recovery	Overall	Advantage	Invul
12	2	14A ~ N + 12L	39 ~ N	-11 ~ -N	-

Followup

Followup for adding more damage.

Moon Skills