Samurai Shodown/Yashamaru Kurama

Yashamaru Kurama
鞍馬 夜叉丸, Kurama Yashamaru

Introduction

Yashamaru is a relatively straightforward character focused on fundamentals and aerial mobility. He is the only character in the game with access to a double-jump, which allows him to play his neutral game from the air as well as from the ground. His long-reaching, damaging strikes lend themselves naturally to a keepout playstyle, although he also has a basic, yet functional mixup between his 66C overhead and 66D low slide.

Another thing that makes Yashamaru unique is how much he benefits from Rage: EX Arctic Tempest can cross up, depending on range, and his raged 5C and EX Wintry Gust both grant a followup on hit. It is not uncommon for Yashamaru to deal 40% damage or more when enraged. However, with just 3 Special moves at his disposal, Yashamarus kit feels somewhat limited compared to the rest of the cast. His offense is also extremely unsafe, meaning he has to commit to hard reads from time to time.

Strengths	Weaknesses
Above-average reach on his normals Tricky aerial mobility Very high burst damage Wide range of consistent punishment options Makes great use of Rage...	...which, in turn, makes Rage Explosion extremely costly for him Limited toolset Highly unsafe approach options

Data

• Damage Taken: 100%
• Rage Factor: 0.32
• Rage Duration: 14 seconds
• Jump: 46 frames (Average. Has a Double Jump)
• Forward Walk Speed: 0.3 (Average)
• Back Walk Speed: 0.23 (Average)
• Dash Speed: 1.25 (Average)
• Back Dash: 27 frames
• Weapon Pickup / Drop: 40 / 80 frames

Gameplan

Yashamaru is primarily a defensive character who relies on whittling the opponent down with single button pokes, air to airs, baits and punishes. Along with Haohmaru, he is the main face of the game, meaning that his restrictive nature and low execution barrier teaches the player how to be patient and use the system mechanics effectively, making him great for beginners and the old-school crowd alike. To put it simply, he isn't good because he has strong tools, he is good because he is efficient at dealing with other character's strong tools.

This is all thanks to the one tool that sets him apart from every other character in the game; the double jump. It's a simple yet robust movement option that opens up a whole world of depth for Yashamaru. The very act of jumping itself is already a good option in this game, but chuck a second jump in the mix and suddenly it can seem hopeless to land any kind of meaningful damage on him. You will be and should be double jumping a lot. It forces your opponent to make decisions such as committing to a DP or going in for an air-to-air. This is where you bait and punish the opponent for overextending. Jump forward to elicit the DP, then jump back and punish it hard with a heavy slash or Super Special Move (SSM). This is how and where you'll be scoring most of your damage.

Running with the life lead is key and Yashamaru has more than enough options to do so. However, if the opponent threads the needle correctly and knocks you down, or if they steal the life lead, that's when Yashamaru's true weaknesses are exploited. Unlike a lot of other characters, he can't just dictate neutral with a fireball and a DP. He has no invincible reversals, reliable grounded anti airs or escape options. Almost everything other than aerial buttons and pokes are very punishable. Once they take back the lead, the match starts to become this pitiful cat and mouse chase where Yashamaru is forced to make hard reads to get in and steal it back.

He is drastically changed in rage more so than others, so Just Defending whenever you can is the meaningful optimization that separates the intermediate players and the high level ones. Not only does his damage output increase tenfold but his Arctic Tempest (DP / 623+S) turns into an imperative cross up tool used to catch your opponent off guard in the hopes of taking the life lead back whenever you're at a deficit.

Be smart and be crafty with your double jump. Always put the ball in their court and force them to approach you. Sit on that life lead and play lame. That is Yashamaru's true strength and that is his gameplan.

Yashamaru's air specials have a height restriction, which means that if you want to tiger knee them, you can't simply perform a 2369 motion like other characters. Instead, you will need to add another grounded directional at the end. 4, 1, 2, 3 and 6 all work, so simply find what is most comfortable for you. For example, if you wanted to tiger knee j.236C for the quick overhead in rage, rather than inputting 2369C you would use something like 23696C, but any grounded direction works.

Neutral

Because of his double jump, Yashamaru's neutral falls outside of the norm. He has an unorthodox method of attaining damage and screen control but it is most certainly a great one. Because of his aerial options, he adopts the philosophy of "air footsies" as a means for whiff punishing the opponent. This means that anything from air-to-air attempts to DPs can be exploited.

On the ground, it's easy to imagine that his far medium slash (otherwise known as 5B) is his greatest poke. It has a long amount of range when compared to most characters and it serves well as a means of whiff punishment and interrupting forward movement. Other than this, however, he doesn't really have any other grounded pokes he can mix it up with. This means that his ground control alone is quite linear and can be easily adapted to and shut down with a deflect (qcf+A/B). It's always best to keep yourself at the mid-range to intercept their approach with 5B instead of going in yourself.

His running Heavy Slash (66C) is a full screen overhead which knocks the opponent away on hit, granting a good grip of damage while giving the opportunity to either run in or back away safely. He is also airborne during the animation which means it can travel over a number of low attacks and fireballs. Examples include Kyoshiro's fireball, Haohmaru's fireball, Jubei's fireball and Wu Ruixang's floor trap. Introducing this method of punishing projectiles will make the opponent second guess their options for zoning. If blocked, it is dangerously punishable, so it holds a lot of risk.

If you find yourself up close with the opponent, he doesn't have tremendous options. The two most common tools used in this situation are 2D (crouching kick) and Surprise Attack (universal overhead, B+C). 2D is his safest and quickest attack option but it barely offers any reward. It is mostly used to check the opponent's movement and blocking habits to condition them to guard low. After conditioning them with 2D, Surprise Attack will have a higher chance of hitting. If it connects, you have the advantage (+3) which means you can continue to attack safely. It is punishable when blocked, but correctly spacing it slightly further away from the opponent will render it a lot harder to punish with anything meaningful. Mixing these options up with a Guard Break (throw, C+D) is all he really has offensively at close range.

His ground control doesn't bare a lot of nuance. This opens up his stronger and more effective air game. Because of his double jump, he can dodge and weave his way throughout the space with ease, dictating the pace of the match. His air buttons have a gargantuan amount of range. Jumping Light Slash (jump A) is an incredibly fast and reliable air-to-air. Yashamaru has no real normal/special anti-airs so jump back A is a great way of sniping them while keeping your distance. Its downward hitbox makes it a menace in real match situations. Jumping Kick (jump D) is also a quick vertical attack but with a lot less range. It is actually a lot harder for the opponent to anti air with a button than his other jumping attacks so it does have its niche uses. Jumping Medium Slash (jump B) is almost used in the exact same way as jump A but in a more horizontal capacity. It is slightly slower than jump A but also deals more damage, so you will more commonly use them in conjunction with one another to be as risk free as possible. He has two versions of jumping Heavy Slash (jump C), a neutral jump one and a forward/back jump one. Neutral jump C is a huge button that come crashing down vertically yet also covers a large amount of space in front of him. Forward/back jump C is a monstrous button that sweeps almost all around him. These are the heavy hitters which will cause your opponent to think twice before confronting him in the air again. There is a catch, however. They may do damage and cover a great amount of space, but they are among the slowest air buttons in the game. This means that an unnecessary reliance or abuse of jump heavies will usually result in taking the opponent's faster air-to-air. Yashamaru thrives in being as annoying and risk free as possible, so be wary. Never forget to use every single one of his air buttons in tandem with each other.

Okizeme

His EX Arctic Tempest (623+S) is an effective crossup tool which can put them in the exact same knockdown situation if landed successfully. The trajectory can be altered depending on which version of the attack you use, so placing it correctly on top of the opponent's head can be next to impossible for them to block because they just don't know which side it's hitting them on. If this is blocked then prepare to eat a heavy punish.

EX Azure Gale (236+S) passes through the opponent on contact. This means that, when timed correctly with their wakeup, it can actually cross them up. The timing is incredibly tricky and it can be hard to pull off considering rolls. This is also punishable if blocked.

His WFT can be used as a meaty attack which can score you a lot of free chip damage. If used from the correct range, the opponent will have no choice but to wake up and block the oncoming barrage of tengu feathers while being completely safe. It isn't uncommon to win matches through chip damage this way. This move is very unsafe if performed too close to an opponent who is rolling towards you.

Most invincible reversals in this game have a lot of startup. This means that a well timed meaty Close 2A (crouching light slash) can be used to intercept jumps, back dashes and other attacks on their wakeup while still being safe against a wakeup DP. When used correctly, the meaty Close 2A will recover before the active frames of their reversal come out, so you will be able to block in time for a hefty punish. This works against Charlotte, Genjuro (WITHOUT rage), Shiki and Yoshitora to name a few.

Normal Moves

Far Slashes

5A

5A	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Guard Dmg Cancel Recoil Deflectable Unarmed 30 Mid 9 - - 28 -7 -5 - Yes Yes Yes No Hilt attack with decent range and cancellable.

5B

5B

Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Guard Dmg Cancel Recoil Deflectable Unarmed 100 Mid 14 - - 38 -4 -12 - No Yes Yes No One of the best moves in Yashamaru's arsenal. On one hand, it has a great horizontal range and longer than average active frames, making it very strong in neutral and very effective for checking dashes and projectiles. The long active frames will even catch opponents jumping or backdashing in many scenarios. However, those traits also make it easy to deflect. While this move is a very important staple of Yashamaru's ground game, throwing it out recklessly against knowledgeable opponents is a recipe for disaster.

5C

5C

Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Guard Dmg Cancel Recoil Deflectable Unarmed 300 / 480 (360,120) Mid 27 - - 74 -7 / KD -16 - No Yes Disarm No Big, beefy and oh so satisfying, Yashamaru's 5C compensates for its painfully slow startup and recovery with the hardest-hitting button in the entire game. Upon max rage hits, it has a followup attack by pressing C again, sending the already high damage through the roof. It's able to punish whiff throws by backdash and micro walks forward before pressing the deadly C button.

2A

2A	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Guard Dmg Cancel Recoil Deflectable Unarmed 30 Mid 9 - - 29 -8 -5 - Yes Yes Yes No Crouching version of 5A hilt attack.

2B

2B

Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Guard Dmg Cancel Recoil Deflectable Unarmed 100 Mid 12 - - 40 -8 -12 - Yes Yes Yes No A faster and shorter range alternative to 5B. Since version 1.70 it becomes cancellable, makes it very good for auto confirm into 236A. Despite of how it looks, its hit-box is very low to the ground, makes it very unlikely to hit airborne opponents, which also reduce the risk of auto confirm.

2C

2C

Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Guard Dmg Cancel Recoil Deflectable Unarmed 180 (100,80) Low,Low 11,29 - - 66 -7 -28 - No Yes No No A two hitting low with great range and very fast start-up. This move can catch opponents off guard from a respectable distance away. When combined with 5B it's a very effective part of Yashamaru's grounded neutral, as they cover each others' respective weaknesses. However, due to this move hitting very low to the ground, it can be high profiled by most universal overheads. Overuse this move will also see you eating jump-ins more often than not.

Near Slashes

n.5A

n.5A	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Guard Dmg Cancel Recoil Deflectable Unarmed 30 Mid 5 - - 19 -2 -5 - Yes No No No Fast backfist attack and cancellable.

n.5B

n.5B	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Guard Dmg Cancel Recoil Deflectable Unarmed 80 Mid 7 - - 29 -2 -12 - Yes Yes Yes No Along with n.2B, this is Yashamaru's go-to close range combo starter, usually used to cancel into 236A. Despite of the animation, it's not a good anti air.

n.5C

n.5C

Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Guard Dmg Cancel Recoil Deflectable Unarmed 220 Mid 17 - - 47 -3 -28 - No Yes Disarm No This move doesn't hit as hard as its far counterpart, but its much faster startup makes it easier to use as a punish option. Worth noting is that Yashamaru steps back slightly during the move's startup, so it has a tendency to whiff in certain unconventional spacings. Since version 1.70, it serves as a very niche anti air, but unless you're close to your opponent it's usually more consistent to use the usual air to air options.

n.2A

n.2A	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Guard Dmg Cancel Recoil Deflectable Unarmed 30 Mid 5 - - 18 -1 -4 - Yes No No No Crouching version of near 5A and even safer on block.

n.2B

n.2B	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Guard Dmg Cancel Recoil Deflectable Unarmed 90 Mid 10 - - 33 -3 -12 - Yes Yes Yes No The other combo starter along with n.5B, it has slower start up but deals a little bit more damage.

n.2C

n.2C

Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Guard Dmg Cancel Recoil Deflectable Unarmed 200 (140,60) Mid,Mid 11 - - 71 KD -28 - No Yes Disarm No Unlike 2C, THIS IS NOT A LOW. However, it does grant better damage, making it an effective punish option. One downside to this move is that the first hit can catch opponents while jumping or backdashing, leaving Yashamaru to helplessly whiff the second one.

Kicks

5D

5D	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Guard Dmg Cancel Recoil Deflectable Unarmed 50 Mid 11 - - 25 -2 -5 - No No No Yes Slow forward kick with decent range.

6D

6D	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Guard Dmg Cancel Recoil Deflectable Unarmed 30 Low 10 - - 25 -3 -6 - No No No Yes Low kick with decent range and safe on block, low risk but very little reward.

2D

2D	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Guard Dmg Cancel Recoil Deflectable Unarmed 20 Low 5 3 - ? ±0~+2 -3~-1 - No No No Yes Standard fast low kick.

3D

3D

Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Guard Dmg Cancel Recoil Deflectable Unarmed 70 Low 9 - - 38 KD -13 - No No No Yes Fast sweep kick with surprisingly good range. This move is useful as a punish tool when you want a knockdown but either aren't close enough for 2B combo, or the blocked move isn't negative enough for 2C punish. It also mitigates the risk of a recoil cancel deflect.

Dash Normals

66A

66A	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Guard Dmg Cancel Recoil Deflectable Unarmed 30 Mid 8 - - 22 -2 -19 - No Yes Yes No Running hilt attack.

66B

66B

Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Guard Dmg Cancel Recoil Deflectable Unarmed 100 Mid 11 - - 35 -4 -35 - No Yes Disarm No Yashamaru's 5B was already a strong normal, so how about we make it faster and add some forward momentum to it? Despite all of this move's benefits, the risks are even greater than 5B's, as deflecting dash medium & heavy attacks causes a disarm. Once again, use this move responsibly.

66C

66C

Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Guard Dmg Cancel Recoil Deflectable Unarmed 160 High 24 - - 81 KD(+66) -35 - No No Disarm No Lunging overhead that horizontally tracks to the opponent's position, meaning that as long as they're on the ground this move will connect no matter what. Due to the horizontal tracking, this move can be a reliable whiff punish against many attacks that leave opponents far away from Yashamaru, and the airborne properties even let him high profile certain attacks like Kyoshiro's projectile. As it is an overhead, this move can open up unsuspecting opponents when used sparingly. It's able to catch backdash as well.

66D

66D It's not Ukyo's 66D, but it'll do It's not Ukyo's 66D, but it'll do	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Guard Dmg Cancel Recoil Deflectable Unarmed 70 Low 5 7 - 38 KD(+91~+97) -17~-11 - No No No Yes Pretty standard slide sweep. Can use it to surprise opponents and get a knockdown punish in niche scenarios.

Air Normals

j.A

j.A The bird's beak The bird's beak

Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Guard Dmg Cancel Recoil Deflectable Unarmed 30 High 8 - - - - - - No No No No Don't let the animation fool you, this move's hitbox is deceptively large. Combined with its quick startup, it stands out as Yashamaru's go-to air to air. Performing this as a backwards jumping air to air stuffs a great majority of jump in attempts cleanly. Even opponents jumping at normally safe distances can still get smacked by this from a neutral/forward jump. Learning to use this move effectively is absolutely essential for any Yashamaru player, as it keeps opponents from trying to contest him from above and forces them to deal with his highly efficient ground game. Aside from its use as the most important air to air in his kit, this move also works as sort of a ground to air poke, letting Yashamaru start his offense and run mind games on block, and if hit particularly deep can grant a followup combo on the ground.

j.B

j.B The bird's wingspan The bird's wingspan	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Guard Dmg Cancel Recoil Deflectable Unarmed 100 High 11 - - - - - - No No No No Slower than j.A and doesn't have nearly the same vertical range, but compensates with larger horizontal range. One example where you might consider using this over j.A would be against characters with floatier jumps, such as Tam Tam and Ukyo.

j.C

j.C The bird's talons The bird's talons

Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Guard Dmg Cancel Recoil Deflectable Unarmed 160 High 16 - - - - - - No No No No Air to ground attack with larger than average vertical range. Primarily used to from above, especially on blocked Dragon Punches (that aren't Yoshitora's). You'll need to practice the timing for landing this into n.2C, as the somewhat lengthy startup makes it easy to mistime. If you perform it too late, Yashamaru will land before the active frames come out. Aside from this purpose, it also sees situational use in combo jump pressure.

j.7/9C

j.7/9C File:SamSho Yashamaru j9C.png The bird's...other talons? The bird's...other talons?

Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Guard Dmg Cancel Recoil Deflectable Unarmed 200 High 15 - - - - - - No No No No Yashamaru's primary jump in, despite the appearance it does have a respectable downwards hitbox. Like n.jC, you'll need to perform it slightly earlier than normal in order for the move to come out before Yashamaru hits the ground, but if you do it too early you won't get a true followup from it. Once again, practice is the key. This move also makes for a high reward callout air to air.

j.D

j.D File:SS Yashamaru jD.png	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Guard Dmg Cancel Recoil Deflectable Unarmed 30 High 10 - - - - - - No No No Yes Starndard air kick with good downwards hit-box.

Unarmed Normals

u.5S

u.5S File:SS Yashamaru u5S.png	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Guard Dmg Cancel Recoil Deflectable Unarmed 50 Mid 5 - - 26 -1 -6 - No No No Only

u.2S

u.2S File:SS Yashamaru u2S.png	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Guard Dmg Cancel Recoil Deflectable Unarmed 50 Mid 5 - - 26 -1 -6 - No No No Only

ju.S

ju.S File:SS Yashamaru juS.png	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Guard Dmg Cancel Recoil Deflectable Unarmed 50 High 6 - - - - - - No No No Only

u.66S

u.66S File:SS Yashamaru u66S.png	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Guard Dmg Cancel Recoil Deflectable Unarmed 50 Mid 5 - - ? KD -10 - No No No Only

Universal Mechanics

Guard Break

Guard Break (Throw) 4/5/6C+D Forward throw Forward throw File:SS Yashamaru 4CD.png Back Throw Back Throw

Version Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Guard Dmg Cancel Recoil Deflectable Unarmed Back - - - - - - - - - - - - - Universal throw. Can be followed up with an attack. Outside of the corner, your main options are 236A for a knockdown, and 2C for damage. Closer to the corner, you can just use n.2C to get the best of both worlds. Forward - - - - - - - - - - - - - Universal throw. Can be followed up with an attack. Outside of the corner, your main options are 236A for a knockdown, and 2C for damage. Closer to the corner, you can just use n.2C to get the best of both worlds.

Surprise Attack

Surprise Attack (Overhead) 5B+C File:SS Yashamaru 5BC.png	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Guard Dmg Cancel Recoil Deflectable Unarmed - - 20 - - - +3 -10 - - - - Yes Universal overhead. The sword swipe combined with the forward movement gives this better horizontal range than most. It also puts Yashamaru in an airborne state, allowing him to high profile certain moves.

Dodge

Dodge 5A+B File:SS Yashamaru 5AB.png	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Guard Dmg Cancel Recoil Deflectable Unarmed - - - - - - - - - - - - - Universal dodge.

Stance Break

Stance Break A+B during Just Defense File:SS Yashamaru gAB.png	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Guard Dmg Cancel Recoil Deflectable Unarmed 0 Mid 5 - - 52 KD -24 - No - - Yes Universal Stance Break.

Counter / Blade Catch

Counter / Blade Catch 236A+B Counter Counter File:SS Yashamaru u236AB.png Blade Catch Blade Catch

Version Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Guard Dmg Cancel Recoil Deflectable Unarmed Armed - - - - - - - - - - - - - Universal counter. Allows you to follow up with a guaranteed attack of your own. The follow up depends on the strength of the attack you counter. If you counter a heavy slash, your opponent will be disarmed. Disarmed - - - - - - - - - - - - - Universal counter. While disarmed, your counter will disarm and knock away your opponent regardless of slash level used.

Rage Explosion

Rage Explosion 5A+B+C File:SS Yashamaru 5ABC.png	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Guard Dmg Cancel Recoil Deflectable Unarmed 0 - - - - - - - - - - - - Unblockable pushback attack.

Lightning Blade

Lightning Blade (Issen) 5A+B+C during Rage Explosion File:SS Yashamaru Issen.png	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Guard Dmg Cancel Recoil Deflectable Unarmed - - - - - - - - - - - - - Has projectile invulnerability and anti-airs. Damage scales up beased on reamaining health.

Command Moves

Double Jump

Double Jump j.7 or j.8 or j.9 File:SS Yashamaru j789.png Double Jump Double Jump

Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Guard Dmg Cancel Recoil Deflectable Unarmed - - - - - - - - - - - - Yes Yashamaru can do a second jump in any upwards direction. As you can probably imagine, this is the crux of his game plan in nearly all aspects. It adds another layer to his neutral with the ability to harass opponents from above, especially if he can occupy a sweet spot just outside their ideal punish range. It also combines with combo jump to give him a very unique pressure/mixup game. It should be noted that while the second jump will give you a second chance at avoiding an anti air Issen, you will inevitably need to return to the ground from that jump, meaning you are still not entirely safe.

Special Moves

Wintry Gust

Wintry Gust j.214S File:SS Yashamaru 214S.png Wintry Gust Wintry Gust

Version Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Guard Dmg Cancel Recoil Deflectable Unarmed Normal - - 17 earliest - - - KD -90~ - - - - No Yashamaru tosses his blade down at his opponent, stalling his air momentum. The button used for the input determines the angle of the projectile, the stronger the button the further the blade is tossed. If the attack hits a grounded opponent, Yashamaru goes into a canned animation that adds damage and a knockdown. This move's primary use is as a whiff punish tool against projectiles or moves with lengthy recovery that leave opponents far away from Yashamaru. The reward is pretty high, but do note that this move is horrendously unsafe. In fact, every character in the game can SSM punish this on block. With that in mind, understand that this is a very niche move that you will not want to throw out recklessly. Another less common use is a situational air to air if you are already in the air when your opponent jumps and aren't in range to safely use normals, but remember that you won't get the full animation of the attack unless it hits a grounded opponent. As of patch 1.70, this move has been given a significant buff with the ability for Yashamaru to cancel the recovery into a double jump on block and whiff, provided he hasn't already used the double jump. Rage - - - - - - - - - - - - No Basically the same as the normal version, but grants a followup juggle on grounded hit.

Azure Gale

Azure Gale 236S(air okay) File:SS Yashamaru 236S.png Azure Gale Azure Gale

Version Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Guard Dmg Cancel Recoil Deflectable Unarmed Light - - 18 - - - KD -32 - - - - No Medium - - 18 - - - KD -32 - - - - No Heavy - - - - - - KD - - - - - No Lunging stab attack, the button press determines the distance. A and B are both horizontal strikes, with A being faster but with short range while B is slower but travels longer. 236A is commonly used as a followup from n.5B, n.2B and a throw, while 236B is primarily a whiff punish tool. 236C despite appearances is NOT an invincible Dragon Punch attack, and its very sharp angle makes it difficult (but far from impossible) to use as an anti air. Furthermore, it's hard programmed to only connecting on airborne opponents, so don't think you can use it as a character specific followup on tall characters like Earthquake. All versions can be used as fairly risky recoil cancel attacks that can either stuff or trade with an opponent's punish attempt depending on their choice of move and spacing in relation to you. Additionally, Yashamaru can perform this attack in the air. The same properties apply to the A and B versions, j.236A is shorter ranged but faster while j.236B is slightly slower but has longer range. These can be used essentially as air dashes to fly over things like Rimururu WFT or to escape the corner, whether or not you can be punished will depend on the opponent's character and what they attempted to do when you performed the move. They can also be used as air to air whiff punishes or hard callouts, but this has limited use and Yashamaru generally has better options for those. j.236C is a dive attack that serves as a faster but less rewarding alternative to j.214S, allowing you to quickly punish grounded attacks from above. The A and B versions are hard programmed to whiff on grounded opponents, so again, no quirky character specific stuff here. As of patch 1.70, the air versions have some invincibility to air attacks. Rage - - 18 - - - KD -30 - - - - No While in rage, all of Yashamaru's 236S specials do extra hits and damage, and have him cross through the opponent at midscreen even on block. This means he is somewhat safer on block than with the regular versions, but can still be punished depending on the spacing and character. The rage version of 236C sees great use as a followup juggle to j.214S, granting significant damage. The air versions retain these properties. j.236C gets a range buff in rage, clearing the entire screen off a forward jump and granting Yashamaru a very fast and very dangerous punish option against projectiles. It also becomes an overhead, so you get a quick surprise option when tiger kneed, more on that above.

Arctic Tempest

Arctic Tempest 623S File:SS Yashamaru 623S.png

Version Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Guard Dmg Cancel Recoil Deflectable Unarmed Normal - High 31 - - - KD -27 - - - - No The pizza cutter. The button you press determines the distance Yashamaru lunges at his opponent, with each stronger slash sending him progressively further. Not a commonly used move for a lot of reasons. It can whiff punish certain things from afar, but Yashamaru has faster and more rewarding choices for that. However, it can be utilized as a recoil cancel option thanks to its high profile properties. Rage - High 31 - - - KD -19 - - - - No Functionally the same, save for the increased hits and damage, but with one major key difference; the final hit will auto correct to the opponent's position on crossup. This grants Yashamaru a very cheeky left/right mixup while in rage. He can set this up in many ways, from using it as a recoil cancel to performing it as the opponent rises from their wakeup. You're still going to get punished pretty hard on block, but that's the nature of SamSho. Besides, this mixup is so ambiguous to block that it's well worth the risk. Just be mindful of the spacing when you attempt this.

Supers

Weapon Flipping Technique

Ebony Tengu Feathers 236B+C

Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Guard Dmg Cancel Recoil Deflectable Unarmed - - 24 - - - KD -43 - - - - - Available only during Max Rage. Disarms on hit. Yashamaru sends a storm of shining tengu feathers at his opponent. First thing's first, Yashamaru cannot combo into this move at all, not even off a back throw in the corner. Also, while the horizontal range and active frames are incredible, many characters can jump and whiff punish Yashamaru depending on the range. Some notable examples of characters that really don't need to respect this move are Shizumaru with his umbrella stance, Rimururu with her ice platform and perhaps ironically, Yashamaru himself with his double jump and air mobility. Furthermore, should the opponent choose to use their resources, every character in the game can Rage Explosion on reaction and Issen right through. That all being said, this move does have a few niche uses. Since only one hit needs to connect to cause a disarm, it can be used as a situational anti air depending on the opponent's character and spacing. If you can disarm your opponent, you can force a gimmick by activating rage explosion and throwing this move out repeatedly, causing them to either get chipped, jump at you risking an Issen, or simply taking the hit. It should be noted that this is, again, a gimmick with many counter measures. The aforementioned characters aside, opponents can time their jump so that they only get hit by a single feather, ensuring they take minimal damage and you lose your rage for the rest of the match. All in all, the most safe and efficient ways to use this move are either as a meaty attack to force the opponent's hand, or simply as a big punish on moves like Dragon Punches.

Super Special Move

Skand's Divine Squall 641236C+D	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Guard Dmg Cancel Recoil Deflectable Unarmed - - 30 - - - KD -50 - - - - - Available only once per match. Due to the absurd horizontal and vertical range combined with Yashamaru stepping forward on startup, this move is very easy to use as a big punish compared to other SSMs.

Combos

List combos, use numpad notation.

Midscreen

• n.5B or n.2B xx 236A

Yashamaru's bread 'n butter combo. Very common as a punish, especially in rage where it does even more damage than n.5C or n.2C.

• 5C+D xx 236A or 2C

Basic throw combo. 236A grants you a knockdown while 2C gives better damage.

• j.C or j.7/9C xx n.2C

Maximum damage DP punish combo. If you don't have access to WFT or SSM or simply don't want to use them, this is your staple.

• Rage j.214S xx 236C or 623S

While 623S does higher damage if every hit of the attack connects, 236C does strong consistent damage. Really comes down to preference.

Corner

• 5C+D xx n.2C

No more will you need to decide between damage and knockdown for your throw combos, as the corner grants you both.

Videos

Link to Yashamaru videos and specify year it was produced or patch version in brackets.

Example: Yashamaru combo video by "name of content creator" (2019).

Colors

External Links

• Twitter hashtag: #SS_YA
• Yashamaru frame data
• Yashamaru frame data 2
• Yashamaru punish guide by B.G. Contains optimized punishes against every other character in the game.