Idol Showdown/Botan Shishiro

Special Forces La~Lion - Tactical Space Control

Introduction

Botan Shishiro is a versatile neutral control character that's able to suffocate her opponents at most ranges by pressuring them with retreating and advancing disjointed attacks, such as 6M or 2H, and slow, high-damage projectiles that shut down approaches when set up. Her amazing combo game and easy conversions allow her to shred down her opponents' health with meterless access to multiple wallbounces via 214M and 22L~M, as well as an air grab that serves as both a starter and a extender. During her combos, she generates large amounts of meter, often giving her fast access to her metered options and assist calls, such as a forward advancing armored reversal (22S) that converts into combos even when done from far away. However, the lacking speed of her projectile attacks makes her full-screen zoning weak, especially against characters that have similar but faster tools.

Once Botan gets her opponent to block, often after setting up a grenade or faking an aerial approach with j.2H, her strong strike/throw mixup using 5M has opportunities for pressure resets and frametraps and can make her very scary to deal with thanks to the obscene reward she gets on hit.

Recommended Collabs

Note: As this section of the page was written shortly after the game was released, it's only purpose is to help guide new players towards assists that are generally considered useful for the character, and should be revised by an experienced player as the game develops more. Don't be afraid to pick and try something else!

• Miko - Miko's 214S assist allows Botan to convert off her overheads, and forces the opponent into uncomfortable situations where they can take huge amounts of chip damage. Her Off-Collab is great on defense as well, as it is uninterruptible.
• Marine - Marine's Off-Collab is an unblockable grab that follows the opponent and adds chip damage to your normals, which synergizes well with Botan's multi-hit kit and allows for free pressure resets. 214S is good at immediately forcing the opponent to block during neutral as well.
• Kanata - Kanata's Off-Collab is a 2 bar defensive tool that forces opponents right where Botan wants them: far away enough that she's allowed to set up her grenade pressure, or in the air, where they'll be easy to hit with either a throw or her air-unblockable 2H. Her 214S can make Botan's strike-throw pressure even scarier to deal with.
• Roboco - Roboco's Off-Collab can lock the opponent down, extend Botan's pressure in the corner, and allows her to convert off both of her 22M follow-ups, and her 214S is an instant fullscreen beam with great damage and some combo utility. Nuff said.

Normal Moves

Standing Normals

5L

5L	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Adv. on Block Adv. on Hit Invulnerability 30 Mid 6 3 - -1 +3 None Fast, high 5L. Does not whiff on any crouchers, and has a good range. Can still be low profiled.

5M

5M

Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Adv. on Block Adv. on Hit Invulnerability 30, 30, 30 Mid 10 2, (3), 2, (4), 2 - -3 -1 None Gives access to 5M~M even on whiff, making it a great tool during both neutral and pressure. Botan's hurtbox leans backward and the hitbox is disjointed, allowing it to avoid a lot of moves, and the presence of a forward advancing follow-up makes it hard to contest and punish. When blocked, the presence of a follow-up and relatively small frame disadvantage makes tick throw attempts hard to react to.

5M~M

5M~M

Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Adv. on Block Adv. on Hit Invulnerability 65 Mid 15 2 - -5 +4 None Very large forward movement and little knockback make this move a handy stabiliser for combos and respectable in pressure. Confirms even if only the last hit of 5M connects. Despite being unsafe on block, the forward movement and 2M chain allow for ambiguous pressure resets, as the former means that the opponent will be put right in range of 2L, and the latter will catch opponents trying to mash out of blockstun.

5H

5H	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Adv. on Block Adv. on Hit Invulnerability 35, 35, 35 Mid 13 2, (2), 2, (2), 2 - -12 -6 None This move has a lot of forward movement, making it a potential combo tool and deceptively long in terms of reach.

Crouching Normals

2L

2L	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Adv. on Block Adv. on Hit Invulnerability 30 Low 5 2 - -3 +1 None Her fastest normal, and a low. Ok range. Good for defense or mix-ups due to its speed.

2M

2M	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Adv. on Block Adv. on Hit Invulnerability 70 Low 8 2 - -4 -1 None Good range for its speed. Can be used in pressure or defense at certain spacings to check your opponent, as well as after a dash as a neutral tool.

2H

2H

Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Adv. on Block Adv. on Hit Invulnerability 100 Air Unblockable 18 3 28 -15 +40 None Botan sways back a significant distance and shoots the opponent, launching them on hit. Not jump cancellable unlike most 2H's and quite slow. It's huge disjointed hitbox make it ideal to catch jump-ins, but opponents expecting it can dash in and low profile it, and despite the backwards movement it leaves you very vulnerable during it's recovery frames. Air unblockable and important combo tool.

3H

3H	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Adv. on Block Adv. on Hit Invulnerability 90 Low 14 12 - -18 +20 (depends on height) None Sliding sweep. Goes very far and gives an untechable knockdown afterwards regardless of height, which gives her a very favorable knockdown when the opponent is launched first via 2H. Go-to meterless combo ender.

Jumping Normals

j.L

j.L	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Adv. on Block Adv. on Hit Invulnerability 30 High 5 6 - - - None Very fast and high j.L. Whiffs on crouchers, so should primarily be used against airborne opponents.

j.M

j.M	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Adv. on Block Adv. on Hit Invulnerability 55 High 10 4 - - - None Respectable hitbox at a 45 degree angle makes it a good jump-in tool when spaced right. Can be used alongside j.S and j.2H to make Botan very difficult to anti-air.

j.H

j.H	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Adv. on Block Adv. on Hit Invulnerability 85 Mid 11 8 - - - None Hits on both sides, allowing it to be used in ambiguous left/right mixups. However, the lack of range on this move makes crossup attempts inconsistent and dependent on spacing.

Command Normals

j.2H

j.2H

Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Adv. on Block Adv. on Hit Invulnerability 30, 30, 30 High 12 2, (2), 2, (2), 2 - - - None Halts Botan's momentum and sends her straight down. Has a respectable hitbox and is quite plus on block even if not all hits connect. Because this move will put Botan on the opposite side to the opponent if she lands right on top of their head, it can allow for some ambiguous mix-ups off of a forward jump. This move launches the opponent when done after the peak of Botan's jump.

6M

6M

Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Adv. on Block Adv. on Hit Invulnerability 85 Mid 17 2 - -10 -5 None Ridiculously long-range poke due to Botan moving significantly forward during the startup, but somewhat slow. It can be cancelled to keep the forward movement on hit or block, allowing for knockdown or combos on hit, or left uncancelled to return to Botan's original postion safely. Can be punished if used too predictably. Only cancels into 3H and special moves.

4H

4H	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Adv. on Block Adv. on Hit Invulnerability 50 Mid 21 - - +1~-12 -5~-18 None Whiffs on crouching opponents Can be cancelled into itself twice, for up to 3 total hits A lower commitment projectile that hits quite high, allowing it to sometimes hit jumping opponents at the cost of being easy to low profile. Decent option

Universal Mechanics

Throw

Throw L+M	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Adv. on Block Adv. on Hit Invulnerability 140 Unblockable 7 2 - - - None

Air Throw

Air Throw j.L+M	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Adv. on Block Adv. on Hit Invulnerability 81 Unblockable 7 2 - - - None Combo-able air throw.

Overhead

Overhead M+H	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Adv. on Block Adv. on Hit Invulnerability 60 High 26 3 - - - None Universal standing overhead

Special Attacks

236X

Poi 236L/M/H (High) (High) (Low) (Low) S.S.R.B S.S.R.B

Version Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Adv. on Block Adv. on Hit Invulnerability L 158 Mid - - - - - None Botan may have more then 1 grenade out at any time, no matter which variant is used. Botan's grenade series help her zoning be a lot more oppressive. The light version is an anti-air grenade, flying up and away from Botan and tracking the opponent's currenct location. Due to the fact that this move tracks only on startup, it is not perfect at contesting the air, but it's initial angle can snipe many aerial approaches. M 162 Mid - - - - - None The medium version bounces along the ground at a slow and steady rate, making it a very good and long lasting check against characters that want to approach from the ground, and enhancing Botan's anti-air options as a result. H 112 Mid - - - - - None The heavy version is quite different from the standard variants; It shoots an array of explosions slightly above and in front of Botan's head. This is a very big and rather fast move that contests a lot of airspace and sends them far, making it useful as a twitch anti-air to react with.

214X

Quickscope 214L/M/H (Low) (Low) (High) (High) MLG Trickshot MLG Trickshot

Version Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Adv. on Block Adv. on Hit Invulnerability L 90 Mid 27f - - -11 - None Grounded sniper shot. Despite it's long startup, it's absurd low profile makes this move a perfect "anti-projectile projectile", as well as a risky reversal option, and with full superchat, it can lead to a good amount of damage anywhere on the screen by being cancelled into 22S. Jumpable on reaction. Botan shoots from behind her back as well, making it able to stuff jump-in attempts at times. M 90 Mid 27f - - -11 - None Anti-air sniper shot. Shoots at a 45 degree angle and gives an incredible wallbounce on hit, making it confirmable at some very long ranges. High-risk high-reward anti-air that works best in conjunction with grounded grenades (236M) to cover it. H 120 Mid 21f - - -20 - None Botan leaps with her sniper rifle and trickshots her opponent, covering the entire screen. It's slow startup means it can't confirm off of everything, but due to it possessing a similar wallbounce as 214B on airborne opponents, it can be a very powerful combo extender or punish tool. Deals a massive amount of chip on block.

22L

Tactical Roll 22L

Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Adv. on Block Adv. on Hit Invulnerability - - - - - - - None 2S performs this move. Botan rolls backwards. Botan cannot use standard attacks during this animation, but she has access to 3 followups, based on the button pressed during it. Moves her hurtbox quickly, but is otherwise rather sluggish, so it's recommended to cancel this move into one of it's followups more often then not. Anytime during the animation, Botan can press L to use 214L, M to use 214M, and H to use 22M. Her gun series from the roll seems to have faster startup, so it can work as a good reaction punish should you see your roll dodge an attack, and a good check if your opponent is running to punish your roll. H followup can be used to leap over low-hitting attacks and punish overtly patient opponents, but it's risky and can be contested on reaction. Because the followups are treated as different moves from their regular counterparts, 22L~M can wallbounce in the middle of a combo even if 214M has been used already.

22M/H

Lioness Leap 22M/H Functionally similar to Akuma's "Demon Flip" from Street Fighter. Functionally similar to Akuma's "Demon Flip" from Street Fighter. M Follow-Up M Follow-Up H Follow-Up H Follow-Up

Version Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Adv. on Block Adv. on Hit Invulnerability M - High - - - - - None Botan does a slow frontflip. Botan cannot use standard attacks during this animation, but she has access to 2 followups, based on the button pressed during it. The hop has limited utility at going over low-hitting moves. Her first followup comes out by pressing L or M, with an animation resembling j.M but much much faster in startup. This option hits high. Can be used to crossup the opponent on knockdown at point-blank, as it'll keep you on their left side when used early and land you on the opposite side if used very late or not at all. Her second followup comes out by pressing H, and resembles her air grab, but it works on standing opponents. Because the M and L follow-up must be blocked high, and the H follow-up must be avoided by either crouching or jumping, and since Botan can simply land and go for a air unblockable low, this move can lead to a mixup if the opponent respects it. However, both follow-ups are impossible to convert off of without specific assists or metered options, and they can be avoided with either backdashing at long ranges or by contesting this move's startup with a fast button. Because of this, it finds usage mostly on knockdown or as a gimmicky pressure extension option after Botan commits to a lengthy blockstring. H - Unblockable - - - - - None H leap is very similar to M leap, with one small change; the hop is much faster and follow-ups can be used extremely early, making the previously mentioned mixup and crossup potentially unreactable and much harder to contest. While very hard to play around, this move is also expensive at 1 meter, and still doesn't allow Botan to combo from it's followups without the usage of specific assists or meter. Despite this, it can still be potentially useful during situations where the lack of damage won't matter, or to forcefully extend her pressure after a blocked 5H or 2H.

j.214H

Bullet Rain j.214H

Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Adv. on Block Adv. on Hit Invulnerability - - - - - - - None A retreating attack where Botan sprays her guns to propel herself away from the opponent. Despite altering Botan's air trajectory mid-jump, it can be very unsafe even on hit if used too early during a jump, and it's seemingly lacking hitstun makes it impossible to combo out of. When used very close to the ground, Botan will go immediately into her landing animation, adding a bit of endlag while netting her a little bit of Superchat meter.

22S

Trials Ascending 22S

Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Adv. on Block Adv. on Hit Invulnerability - Mid 2 46 12 -11 - Super Armor(2f-40f) Botan's Idol Skill, increasing her Superchat meter by $25 when used. Somehow tracks the opponent even if they cross-up to opposite side. Uses 1 Star Meter. An advancing armored attack where Botan charges forward in her shopping cart. The shopping cart will absorb hits for Botan, so it is good for getting her out of a tricky situation. Can lead into combos even when used at long ranges. Very minus on block, but requires a well-timed punish thanks to it's strange recovering hitbox. NOT a true reversal, as you can be hit out of it before the superflash.

Super Star Attack

Get To Da Choppa! 236S	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Adv. on Block Adv. on Hit Invulnerability 255 Mid 38 10 - - - None Anti-air super. Botan does a large leap that only hits airborne opponents, and a cinematic plays should she hit her opponent, doing large amounts of damage.

Combos

General

(WIP)

Legend [] means 'optional'

() means number of hits in a multi-hit attack when not all hits are used.

> means 'cancel'

, means 'link' to let the previous move finish completely and then combo

AA means 'Anti-Air'

dl means 'delay'

Please note that at the time of writing, the game is very new. Combos and Okizeme will most likely need to be re-evaluated by experienced players at a later date, as they are almost certainly not optimal.

Botan's Combos are quite range and position specific, primarily revolving around her various wallbounce and ground bounce limits. Combos can change both in difficulty depending on what you have access to and how close you are the corner, forcing the player to adjust on the fly.

Botan's damage output is fairly high but consistency and optimization can be tricky, so it's better to think of these combos as examples than hard rules to follow. Use your own experience and skill to experiment for what works for you. And remember, any damage is good damage instead of dropping a combo at a bad time.

Basic and Universal

These combos work on everyone and aren't too difficult.

Combo	Difficulty	Damage	Cost	Meter Gain	Location
[5L/2L] > 5M(3)~M > 2M > 5H(3) > 2H > dl 3H		287	0 bar	??? Opp: ???	Anywhere
Works from close range Starters. Basic BnB combo. 3H only needs to be delayed a little and it connects after 2H. Ending in 3H gives Botan her best knockdown for pressure and mixups. Youtube
[5L/2L] > 2M > 5H(3) > 3H		191	0 bar	??? Opp: ???	Anywhere
When too far away for 5M to connect. If Botan's not close enough to the opponent, 2H will not connect. 5H can also be replaced with 6M if that feels more comfortable to use. Youtube
[5L/2L] > 5M(3)~M > 2M > 5H(3) > 2H > 214M, 5L > 5M(1) > 5H(3) > 2H, 6M > dl 3H		329?	0 bar	??? Opp: ???	Midscreen
Variant of the first combo, incoperating a wallbounce for extra damage. The standard combo that most of the harder combos will be based on. Learning this will teach you the basics of optimizing Botan's combos. Youtube
2H, 6M > 3H		238	0 bar	??? Opp: ???	Anywhere
Basic Anti-air combo from 2H. Youtube
Air Throw > 5M(1) > 5H(3) > 2H, 6M > 3H		278	0 bar	??? Opp: ???	Anywhere
Basic Air Throw combo. Youtube

Midscreen

Keep in mind that if the combo starts too close to the corner, one of the wallbounces may have to be skipped and end the combo early as it risks bouncing the opponent out of the corner.

Combo	Difficulty	Damage	Cost	Meter Gain	Location
5M~M > 5H > 2H > 214M > 2M > 5M(1,2)~M > 2H > [6]5H > 3H		443	0 bar	??? Opp: ???	Midscreen
Simple BnB that utilizes a single wallbounce. Can be confirmed into super by ending with 3H > 236M > 236S instead.
5M~M > 5H > 2H > 214M > 2M > 5M(1,2)~M > 2H > 22L~M > 9 > j.AT > 5M(1,2) > 5H > dl.3H		452	0 bar	??? Opp: ???	Midscreen
More advanced version of the above BnB, but only adds 9 more damage. Useful to learn as it uses many elements of her combo theory. Can be confirmed into super by ending with 3H > 236M > 236S instead.
[5L/2L] > 5M(3)~M > 2M > 5H(3) > 2H > 214M, 5A > 5M(1) > 5H(3) > 2H > 22LM, jump Air Throw > 5M(1) > 6M > 3H		280	0 bar	??? Opp: ???	Midscreen
Works from close range Starters. The standard combo that most of the following combos will be based on. Depending on skill and resources, it can be further optimized with meter or including 3H before the first Gunshot for extra damage. Depending on height and when 5L hits, it's possible to let all 3 hits of 5M hit airborne targets, but this can be inconsistent. If landing the air throw feels inconsistent, it can be skipped and go straight into 5L > 5M(1) instead. Youtube
[5L/2L]> 5M(3)~M > 2M > 5H(3) > 2H > 214M, 2M > 5H(3) > 2H > 22LM, jump Air Throw > 5M(1) > 6M > 3H		288	0 bar	??? Opp: ???	Midscreen
Basically the same as above, but with 2M instead of 5L > 5M(1). Doesn't work on Ayame due to her small hitbox. Youtube
AA 2H, 6M > dl 3C > 214M, 5L > dl 5M(3) > dl 5H(3) > dl 3C > 22LM, 5L > 5M(3) > 5H(3) > 3H		380	0 bar	??? Opp: ???	Midscreen
Anti-air combo from 2H. Due to 2H using up the ground bounce at the first hit, it's not possible to use it again to extend the combo as it will just result in a knockdown. Due to the number of 3H in this combo, it hits the combo limit at the end and becomes a soft knockdown. Youtube
AA 2H > 22LM, 5L > dl 5M(3) > dl 5H(3) > dl 3H > 214M, 5L > 5M(3) > 5H(3) > 3H		330	0 bar	??? Opp: ???	Midscreen
Variant Anti-air combo from 2H. Same as above, but going straight into 22LM can give consistency depending on screen position, especially as 22LM can be delayed to make the wallbounce work even close to the corner. Youtube
Air Throw > 5M(1) > 5H(3) > dl 3H 214M, 5L > 5M(3) > 5H(3) > 2H > 22LM, jump Air Throw > 5M(1) > 6M > 3H		325	0 bar	??? Opp: ???	Midscreen
Air Throw combo. Youtube

Corner

Combo	Difficulty	Damage	Cost	Meter Gain	Location
[5L/2L] > 5M(3)~M > 2M > 5H(3) > 2H > dl 3H > 236M, jump Air Throw > 5M(1) > 5H(3) > 2H > 236M, jump Air Throw > 5M(1) > 6M > 3H		???	0 bar	??? Opp: ???	Corner
Grenade loop. The 3H > 236M is necessary to make the first grenade work on small hitbox characters. The combo works even when at a distance where the first 5M whiffs the to the corner making 5H > 2H consistent even when spaced out.
Air Throw > 5M(1) > 5H(3) > dl 3H > 236M, jump Air Throw > 5M(1) > 5H(3) > 2H, 6M > 3H		???	0 bar	??? Opp: ???	Corner
Corner Air Throw combo. Due to the combo limit of connecting 3 Air Throws, a small variant of the combo can instead be done with only 1 grenade.

Advanced Combos

Combos that require a specific starter, or are more executionally challenging than the General BnBs listed above.

Midscreen

Combo	Difficulty	Damage	Cost	Meter Gain	Location

Corner

Combo	Difficulty	Damage	Cost	Meter Gain	Location
[5L/2L] > 5M(3)~M > 2M > 5H(3) > 2H > dl 3H > 236M, jump Air Throw > 5M(1) > 5H(3) > 2H > 236M, jump Air Throw > 5M(1) > 6M > 3H		???	0 bar	??? Opp: ???	Corner
Grenade loop. The 3H > 236M is necessary to make the first grenade work on small hitbox characters. The combo works even when at a distance where the first 5M whiffs the to the corner making 5H > 2H consistent even when spaced out.
Air Throw > 5M(1) > 5H(3) > dl 3H > 236M, jump Air Throw > 5M(1) > 5H(3) > 2H, 6M > 3H		???	0 bar	??? Opp: ???	Corner
Corner Air Throw combo. Due to the combo limit of connecting 3 Air Throws, a small variant of the combo can instead be done with only 1 grenade.

Okizeme

• 3H
  • • Our main meterless okizeme ender. Can be special cancelled at various timings for a meaty 22M setup, or left to recover for more options

• • Mixup A | 22M/22H High/Low/Throw
    • From 3H ender, you either manually time a 22M, or use 22L as soon as possible then use it's H followup, to put yourself in a position where
      • A: You can meaty with L/M followup
      • B: You can hit with H followup before they can respond with a normal
      • C: You land then use 2L option (Due to this option needing more time, it is recommended to use it from higher 3H knockdowns such as 2H > 3H)
    • How you set this up varies on how your 3H connects. A 6M > 3H knockdown will likely require 22L > 22M, whereas a 2H > 3H will require some sort of delay.
    • Example: https://youtu.be/ot5dpkVv2hM

• • Mixup B | j9 (Forward Jump) > j2H
    • From 3H ender, you let 3H recover, then do a forward jump, and use j.2H at different timings to appear on different sides. Then, you land and 2L.
    • Due to this option needing 3H to recover, it is recommended to use it from higher 3H knockdowns such as 2H > 3H
    • Example: https://youtu.be/-eYa3gi0ScE

Matchups

Vs. Aki

Matchup advice goes here.

Vs. Ayame

Matchup advice goes here.

Vs. Botan

Matchup advice goes here.

Vs. Coco

Matchup advice goes here.

Vs. Fubuki

Matchup advice goes here.

Vs. Korone

Matchup advice goes here.

Vs. Sora

236M (Ground grenades) become much harder to use due to her reflector (22M). 6M can be punished at a lot of ranges on block by 5M. Since zoning becomes more of a two-way street, this match-up requires a lot of patience and capitilisation on your knockdown oppurtunities to snowball the game.

Vs. Suisei

Matchup advice goes here.

External Resources

• Twitter Tech: #ISD_BOT

Colors

Original Outfit

Cosplay 1

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Yukihana Lamy (Hololive)

Cosplay 2

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Momosuzu Nene (Hololive)

Cosplay 3

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Omaru Polka (Hololive)

Cosplay 4

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Mano Aloe (Hololive)

Cosplay 5

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Botan's New Year Costume (Hololive)

Cosplay 6

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Noel (BlazBlue)