Samurai Shodown/FAQ

Who should I play?

This is only a character overview, for more info please visit the character's own page.

1 = Poor, 3 = Average, 5 = Great

Beginner

Character	Off ense	Def ense	Damage	Neu tral	Aer ial	Anti air	Mobi lity	Oki	Specia list	Best Range	Major Game Styles	Signature Move	Lore
Haohmaru	3	3	5	4	3	5	3	1	1	Mid	Shoto	Well-rounded "shoto"-type character.	He fights with Blowfish Poison (a prized katana) and his Sake Jug. Fanatic and Warlike. The protagonist of the series. Seek to defeat any challengers to prove himself to be the best.
Darli	4	3	5	3	5	3	2	3	2	Close~Mid	Rushdown	Fast jump, pressure with j.C. Unblockable, specials with armor.	She fights with Libertalia (jagged saw-sword). Confident. A shipbuilder sought to make the best ship for sailing.
Jubei	3	4	4	5	5	3	2	3	2	Mid~Long	Zoning	Good pokes and fireball for mid-to-long range space control. Great 50/50 game.	He fights with Steel Tiger & Sukehiro (twin katana). Loyal. A retired master swordsman sought to bring up young warriors.
Nakoruru	4	3	2	3	4	3	5	3	3	Close~Mid	Rushdown Mix-up	Aggressive short-range character with strong pressure and mobility.	She fights with her treasured sword, Chichi-ushi (Father Bull). Gentle. An Ainu priestess who fights to defend nature.
Tam Tam	3	4	3	5	4	4	2	3	3	Mid~Long	Zoning	Long pokes, instant overhead with j.C	He fights with The Blade That Cuts Through The Darkness (a kind of scimitar). Brave. A warrior of Quetzalcoatl who fights to retrieve artifacts stolen from his village.
Wan-Fu	4	3	4	3	3	2	2	3	5	Close~Mid	Rushdown Grappler	Strong at midrange and while disarmed; notable for unique self-disarming pillar throw special move.	He fights with Flesh-Pounding Large Stone Pillar (A Stone Pillar gifted from the Emperor). Confident. A powerful Chinese warrior who dreams of raising an army and uniting his homeland.
Charlotte	3	5	3	5	4	5	2	3	2	Mid	Zoning Shoto	Good midrange slashing pokes and low-height jumping pressure.	She fights. Proud and Graceful. A French lady fighting for her country and the name of her family.
Warden	4	3	5	3	4	5	1	1	3	Close	Rushdown	Aggressive short-range character with strong jumping and running pressure.	He fights with a Longsword. Patriotic. A warrior from the west who fights in honor of his homeland.

Intermediate

Character	Off ense	Def ense	Damage	Neu tral	Aer ial	Anti air	Mobi lity	Oki	Specia list	Best Range	Major Game Styles	Signature Move	Lore
Genjuro	5	3	5	3	3	4	2	5	3	Close~Mid	Rushdown Mix-up Shoto	His Card mix. Cross up rekkas	He fights with Plum Warbler Poison (a prized katana). Ruthless and Brutal. A ronin who enjoys killing, seeks to defeat his rival, Haohmaru.
Kyoshiro	3	4	4	5	2	4	2	3	3	Mid~Long	Shoto Zoning	Good Neutral, good tools for all situations.	He fights with Caring Wife (a naginata). Charismatic and Eccentric. The Kabuki master sought to inspire people with his dance performance.
Iroha	3	4	3	4	5	4	2	4	3	Mid~Long	Zoning Rushdown Air-Specialist	Double Jump. Multiple air specials, great at controlling space moving in or out. Has a Parry.	She fights with Feng Huang Phosphorus, Beak (two stylized butterfly swords). Grateful. A Crane saved by an unnamed master in which she devoted herself to serve and make them happy however she's able to.
Yashamaru	4	4	4	5	5	3	3	4	4	Mid~Long	Run Away Air-Specialist	Double Jump. Take good advantage of his air-to-air and air-to-ground specialty.	He fights with Shanaō (His father’s naginata). Vengeful. The son of an executed noble, Yashamaru is a ronin seeking vigilante justice.
Yoshitora	5	3	3	4	4	5	3	5	5	Close~Mid	Rushdown Mix-up	Youchuuka, a powerful blade unlocked by hitting all six of his special moves.	He fights with Nadeshiko, Shirayuri, Botan, Tsubaki, Asagao, Yūgao and his self-titled Yuuchouka (SEVEN different blades). Playful. He's a bit of a slacker, Yoshitora is vain and interested in the beauty of battle, though he recognizes his responsibility. As the sole heir to the ruling shogun, he ran away from home to avoid politics.
Hanzo	5	3	3	4	4	1	5	4	4	Any	Rushdown Grappler	Command grabs, teleports.	He fights with Unnamed Ninjato, shurikens, bomb varieties. Serious and Condescending. A ninja serving the Shogun.
Galford	4	3	2	4	3	1	4	3	4	Mid~Long	Zoning Grappler	Poppy tricks (his dog), command grab.	He fights with Justice Blade (a ninjatō). Optimistic and Cheerful. An American who learned ninjutsu in Japan and fights for justice.
Shizumaru	4	4	4	3	5	2	4	3	4	Close~Mid	Air-Specialist Shoto Charge	Kyourakuzan (TAP, hold down a button for massive damage) Float (Umbrella trick)	He fights with Misty Rain (an umbrella) and Great Exorcism's Calamity God Shizumaru (a katana). Quiet and Polite. An amnestic boy sought to know who he is and what is the "Demon" inside of him.
Kazuki	4	3	4	4	4	3	4	2	5	Any	Zoning Rushdown	Meatballs, charge fireballs to enhance his specials.	He fights with Suzaku (The Vermilion Sparrow), a ninjatō, and a blade that contains the demon Enja. Hot-headed, Reckless. A ninja of the Kazama clan, he fights to protect his younger sister Hazuki and to catch up to his big brother Sogetsu.
Cham Cham	3	3	3	5	3	4	4	3	3	Close~Mid	Mix-up	Demon flip, Boomerang throw.	She fights with Yok Mok Mook (a boomerang). Energetic and Optimistic. She’s Tam Tam’s younger sister set on a journey to restore an artifact from her village.
Earthquake	3	5	5	4	4	4	3	4	3	Mid~Long	Zone Grappler Big Body	Long range heavy, high damage.	He fights with Fujiyama (a gigantic kusarigama). Greedy and Narcissistic. He learnt ninjutsu in Japan, and using his mobility and size, he became the leader of his bandit gang.
Mina	3	5	3	5	4	4	3	3	5	Any	Zoning Rushdown	Arrows, best fireball reflector.	She fights with the Suppressing Holy Bow of 8 Purifications (a bow with arrows). Withdrawn and Introverted. An exorcist who wants to live a happy life with her companion Chample without disturbance.

Advanced

Character	Off ense	Def ense	Damage	Neu tral	Aer ial	Anti air	Mobi lity	Oki	Specia list	Best Range	Major Game Styles	Signature Move	Lore
Basara	4	1	3	4	4	4	3	4	5	Mid~Long	Zoning Mix-up	Shadow Feint (Creating shadow to deceive the opponent)	He fights with The Evil-Doer Destroyer (a giant triple-bladed shuriken hooked to a chain). Crazed. Basara is a ghost, brought back by his hatred to find his wife’s killer (Spoilers: It’s him), and uses supernatural abilities to bring death to his opponents.
Ukyo	2	5	3	4	3	4	3	5	4	Close~Mid	Reversal	Tsubame (Instant overhead, anti-air, projectile reflector)	He fights with a Nameless self-made sword. Gentle and Introverted. He wants to find the “ultimate blossom” for his lover before he dies of tuberculosis.
Hibiki	3	4	5	4	4	1	4	2	4	Any	Run Away Reversal	Long range normals, parry.	She fights with Kodama (Echo), a shirasaya. Calm/Psychotic (Yandere). She sought to avenge her father’s death; she was brought back to the Edo period by a mysterious force.
Wu-Ruixiang	2	5	2	3	2	5	2	3	5	Mid~Long	Zoning Set-up Mix-up	Trap, that allows follow up attack. Fireball.	She fights with Chaoji Zhaolong Luopan (High-Quality Dragoncaller Compass). Wise, Clumsy. A descendant of a Feng Shui clan. She was sent by the emperor of the Qing dynasty to investigate the darkness in Japan (Shizuka).
Rimururu	4	4	3	2	4	5	5	5	5	Close~Mid	Rushdown Set-up Mix-up	Tonteke, ice platform, moves that can impair the opponent for follow ups.	She fights with Hahakuru (a kodachi). Cheerful and Optimistic. An Anui priestess who fights in protection of nature and by her admiration of her big sister, Nakoruru.
Sogetsu	3	5	2	4	4	5	4	5	5	Mid~Long	Zoning Set-up Mix-up	Bubble, this move can temporarily impair the opponent to allow follow up attacks.	He fights with Seiryu (the Blue Dragon) a ninjatō (later made into a tachi). Stoic and Reserved. An Elite ninja of the Kazama clan, he fights to honor his clan and to protect his younger siblings.
Shiki	4	3	2	4	2	3	4	5	3	Close~Mid	Rushdown Reversal	Fast normals, good rekka damage. High/low mixups.	She fights with Darkness Demon Ring, Light God Ring (twin katanas with stylized hilts). Sad and Mysterious. She is a servant of Yuga the evil spirit. Her soul was freed after Haohmaru deafeated Yuga. She continues to seek understanding of her identity.
Gongsun-Li	3	4	2	5	5	3	3	4	4	Any	Zoning Unarmed	Teleports, Fastest fireball, unarmed fighting.	She fights with Yi Nian Dan Feng (an umbrella). Peaceful and Polite. A dancer from China came to investigate something in secret.

What's the game's tier list?

Here are some tier lists from notable players for the current patch (Ver 2.40).

North America

Japan

Credit to Doracat via https://twitter.com/youseidora/status/1563645810033979393?t=jk_zxCzUPts0-7ud3HiIxQ&s=19.

Europe

Hundert's tierlist explanation: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1OTMv681Bn8MsEzqsSRpUvFX5BcRGn37aZqXgmMfaeD0

What are some common beginner mistakes?

In order of importance:

• Not using Rage Explosion.
  • Rage Explosion is a powerful comeback mechanic. In general, if you are down in life, below 40% life, and have already lost a round; then it's time to Rage Explode. Of course each player's rage explosion strategy will vary by player preference, character, and situation.

• Using Lightning Blade after a throw.
  • Lighting Blade damage is greatly reduced after a throw. More so than other throw follow up options. In almost all cases, it's better to use another throw follow up.

• Jumping during an opponent's Rage Explosion.
  • Lighting Blade does high damage and can easily be used to anti air. If your character can't adjust their jump movement, don't jump. Even if your character can adjust their jump, jumping is still highly risky.

• Not using Just Defense.
  • Just Defense can be a powerful answer to fireball zoning. An opponent may try to zone you out with fireballs. With proper Just Defends, the opponent is feeding you rage meter. It is also great to use on wakeup. If you're going to guard on wakeup, guard just as your character stands so that a blocked attack is just defended. If your opponent is within stance break range, then you can even use that to escape the pressure.

• Not knowing your BNBs.
  • Samsho is not a combo heavy game. Very simple combo routes will get your damage conversions to optimal or near optimal. BNBs are typically going to be a normal into a special. Just 2 moves. At a basic level, you'll need BNBs in two situations. The first situation is a punish or hit confirm. The second is a throw follow up. Know your BNBs in these cases. The routes are likely to change when rage is active, so know rage and non-rage routes.

• Using Rage Explode too early.
  • It is not usually to your advantage to Rage Explode before you have lost a round. You might be able to win a round that you might have otherwise lost, but you've set yourself up for failure in the following rounds.

• Mashing Deflectable Normals.
  • If a skilled opponent sees you mashing, they will deflect and SSM you. And taking an SSM makes losing the round near certain. If you feel the need to mash out of a scramble, 2D is a low risk option.

• Not mixing up recoil cancels
  • Winning the recoil mind game is a big part of Samsho. If you are predictable with your recoil options, an opponent will know what you're about to do and punish. On a recoil, you can deflect, use a special move, or just do nothing. Do what your opponent isn't expecting.

Is Season Pass 1 free?

Season Pass 1 was only available for free on PS4 outside Japan for a limited time right before the game's release in the west. Nowadays you'll have to pay for it.

I bought Season Pass 2 on PS4 but I can't use Mina?

Due to an issue with the PS Store, Season Pass 2 had to be delayed and thus only Mina was able to be purchased separately. When the season pass was made available later on, they decided not to include Mina in it while making it cheaper than Season Pass 1. Therefore, you will need to buy both Season Pass 2 and Mina on PS4 for the full package.

How do I find tech on Twitter?

Besides the general hashtags #SamuraiShodown, #SamSho and #サムライスピリッツ, #サムスピ in Japanese, each character in the game has a specific hashtag which people should aim to use when posting tech for ease of searching. The rule of thumb is to start with #SS_ (for Samurai Spirits / Samurai Shodown) and append the first two letters of a character's name. In case of overlap, a different 2nd letter is picked. For example: Shiki (#SS_SH) and Shizumaru (#SS_SZ), Haohmaru (#SS_HA) and Hanzo (#SS_HZ), or Charlotte (#SS_CH) and Cham Cham (#SS_CC). The current list is as follows:

Character	キャラクター	Hashtag / ハッシュタグ
Amakusa	天草四郎時貞	#SS_AM
Baiken	梅喧	#SS_BK
Basara Kubikiri	首斬り破沙羅	#SS_BA
Charlotte	シャルロット	#SS_CH
Cham Cham	チャムチャム	#SS_CC
Darli Dagger	ダーリィ・ダガー	#SS_DA
Earthquake	アースクェイク	#SS_EA
Galford	ガルフォード	#SS_GA
Genjuro Kibagami	牙神幻十郎	#SS_GE
Gongsun Li	公孫離	#SS_LI
Hanzo Hattori	服部半蔵	#SS_HZ
Haohmaru	覇王丸	#SS_HA
Hibiki Takane	高嶺 響	#SS_HI
Iroha	いろは	#SS_IR
Jubei Yagyu	柳生十兵衛	#SS_JU
Kazuki Kazama	風間火月	#SS_KA
Kyoshiro Senryo	千両狂死郎	#SS_KY
Mina Majikina	真鏡名ミナ	#SS_MI
Nakoruru	ナコルル	#SS_NA
Rimururu	リムルル	#SS_RI
Shiki	色	#SS_SH
Shizumaru Hisame	緋雨閑丸	#SS_SZ
Sogetsu Kazama	風間蒼月	#SS_SO
Tam Tam	タムタム	#SS_TA
Ukyo Tachibana	橘右京	#SS_UK
Wan-Fu	王虎	#SS_WA
Warden	ウォーデン	#SS_WD
Wu-Ruixiang	呉瑞香	#SS_WU
Yashamaru Kurama	鞍馬夜叉丸	#SS_YA
Yoshitora Tokugawa	徳川慶寅	#SS_YO

Other

What does frame data mean?

Frame data describes the full sequence of animation for an attack.

• Damage: This is the base damage the attack will do without scaling. For more information: Damage Scaling Chart.
• Guard: Whether the attack has to be blocked mid, low, or high.
• Startup: States the first frame in which the attack will hit.
• Active: How many frames the attack can hit for.
• Recovery: The recovery of the move on whiff. Recovery = Total - Startup - Active + 1
• Total: The full duration of the move, from start to end.
• Hit advantage: How many frames you can move before the opponent after hitting the opponent from the front. +5 means you recover 5 frames before the opponent, -3 means he recovers 3 frames before you.
• Block advantage: Like the other advantages, except when the move is blocked. Since there are recoil animations, this will often be very different from the others.
• Guard damage: This is how much damage the attack will do to the internal guard meter in percentage.
• Cancel: If the attack has cancelable regions.
• Recoil: If the attack has a recoil animation when blocked and there are recoil cancel regions.
• Deflectable: If the attack is deflectable by weapon deflect, 236A+B.
• Unarmed: If the attack is available unarmed, or only while unarmed.

For better understanding of each category, see the Mechanics page.

What's frame data good for?

Frame data is mostly for tuning your game and understanding how/why things happen. You don't need it to be able to play, but it helps iron out the wrinkles.

A simple example is that you can look at the block disadvantage of a move, such as -21, and know that any attack with 21F or faster startup can punish it guaranteed.

What do the system data numbers mean?

• Damage taken: How much more or less damage the character takes. (e.g. 105% means the character takes 1.05x damage) The scaling applies to all moves.
• Rage factor: This is used to calculate how much rage the character gets after taking damage. Rage increased = Damage x Rage Factor + 2
• Rage duration: This is how long the character spends raged.
• Jump duration: The full length of a jump in frames.
• Dash speed: Dash speed is determined by how fast the dash is compared to Haohmaru's, which is considered as average.
• Back dash: The total duration of back dash in frames.
• Weapon Pickup / Drop: The total frames needed for the character to pick up or drop their weapon. At frame one of weapon pick up you are considered armed so the opponent cannot interrupt weapon pickup.

All characters' data are written on the System Data page.