Samurai Shodown V Special/Ukyo Tachibana
Introduction
Blue-haired Iaido master and poster boy for tuberculosis awareness.
Ukyo is one of the best characters in the game. Pretty much any gameplan can be accommodated for with his toolkit -- if he can do it, he does it incredibly well. Mixups, runaway, turtling, anti-airing, punishing, you name it. He takes extra damage, meaning he can suffer for a mistake, but he will run circles around most opponents if given the opportunity.
Strengths | Weaknesses |
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Data
- Damage taken: 120%
- Rage duration: 20 seconds
- Amount to rage: 45
- Walk speed: 544
- Backwalk speed: 384
- Dash speed: 1792
- Jump duration: 59 frames
- Width: 16
- Throw range: 12
Normals
Far Slashes
5A:
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5B:
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5AB:
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2A:
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2B:
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2AB:
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Near Slashes
n.5A:
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n.5B:
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n.5AB:
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n.2A:
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n.2B:
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n.2AB:
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Overheads
5BC:
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u.5BC:
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Kicks
5C:
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6C:
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2C:
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3C:
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Jumping
j.A:
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j.B:
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j.8AB:
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j.7/9AB:
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j.C:
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Dashing
66A:
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66B:
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66AB:
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66C:
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Unarmed
u.5S:
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u.2S:
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ju.S:
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u.66S:
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Pursuits
Pursuit - 2BC
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Heavy Pursuit - 8BC
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System
Deflect - 216D:
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Weapon Pickup - 5A:
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Taunt Disarm - Start Start Start:
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Specials
Tsubame Gaeshi - j.1236S:
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Hiken Sasameyuki - 214S:
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'Hi'ken Sasameyuki - 214C: (can be used unarmed)
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Zanzou Fumikomi Giri - 236S:
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Tsubame Rokuren - 236CD - WFT:
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Combos
Normal
- (n.5B or n.2B) ...
- ... xx 236B/236AB 2BC
- Standard corner carry. 236B does slightly more damage but carries a shorter distance. Frequently drops if you're hitting them from behind. Pursuit is corner only.
- ... xx 236A 8BC
- In case you're worried they'll explode. This is also the more consistent option on backhit. 8BC is a tighter link than 2BC in the above combo and is also corner only.
- ... xx 214A
- Reset to neutral. Can leave you open even on hit sometimes.
- ... xx 236CD
- If you absolutely must use WFT this is the only situation that it'll work in.
- 2C tk.1236A/B
- 2C is low, Tsubame Gaeshi is high. The motion for the IoH should be done right around when Ukyo recovers from the kick in order to time the link correctly. Have fun blocking!
- (66AB/66C/6C/3C) 2BC
- You'll likely use these normals quite a lot, so get used to converting them to a pursuit wherever you can.
Backhit only
- 2AB tk.1236A/B
- Situational? Yeah. Fast and hurts a ton? Yeah. At least the link is pretty lenient.
- 2AB 5B xx 236B
- Tougher and harder-hitting 2AB combo. The link is a lot tighter, but this does close to half a lifebar. Stick to the above version for more consistency.
- n.2B xx 214C 5B xx 236B
- Swag combo. The apple is only there to make linking into 5B easier, but the combo is still possible (albeit way less consistent) without it.
- n.5B/n.2B xx 214CD
- Not that you'll be in the situation to land this very much, but hey.
Time slow
- j.AB j.AB j.AB ...
- Used to hearing about this one yet? Your jump is pretty floaty though, so you might do better waiting for them to fall into Issen range.
- (j.9B or 2C) BCD
- 50/50 with instant overhead j.B and 2C. Both lead to Issen. 2C is harder to explode on reaction but hoping they won't is risky. You can string together multiple 2C reps if you expect they'll block high for the ioh. Jump in with j.C before this mixup for an extra layer for them to block.
- j.1236AB BCD
- This one hurts a lot and cannot be exploded. Primarily used if you bait a big enough whiff while popping time slow. Use Tsubame before landing (don't tiger knee it), wait a little while for them to fall just around head height before using Issen. Lots of meditation and a full sword gauge for the Tsubame Gaeshi will lead to this easily shaving off ~75% of a lifebar.
Strategies
General
Ukyo is ideally played as an irritating hit and run character that can choose to mix up when he lands a knockdown. To this end he will harass with quick long range normals, dance in and out of the opponent's range, and smack them for overextending. This makes him potent for both offensive and defensive play, thanks particularly to his incredibly good grounded movement. His forward run has numerous attacks he can mix up and whiff punish with to boot.
If he has the life lead, there's nothing stopping him from just running away and sitting on it. If the opponent has few options to effectively open you up, you can effectively wall them out with normals and punish them for overextending. This becomes very useful when the timer is running out.
But there are a few very pertinent things to be concerned about with Ukyo. He takes a lot of damage thanks to his defense value. Despite his great reach, if a character can outrange him with a quick long range attack, such as Haohmaru 5AB, he needs to be on point with his choices so he doesn't get blown up. Similarly he cannot get too trigger-happy with his buttons against a foe that represents deflects, because all of his best ranged pokes can be deflected and you will get hurt for it.
Almost any mixup Ukyo does is going to be heavily punishable, so if the opponent can block the basic 2C/Tsubame sequence or if they guess your 66B right, you are going to get hurt. Ukyo requires a great balance of careful play and effective risk-taking in order to play well, but the rewards for a correct guess can be huge as almost any knockdown he gets will feed into his pressure or let him run away.
2C Mixups/Pressure
Making the opponent block or get hit by a 2C opens them up to all sorts of possible mixups if you want to commit, including as okizeme. He can obviously do 2C tk.1236B for the classic setup, 2C 66B to cross up, 2C 6C to low knockdown, 2C 66CD to throw, etc. He can pretty safely keep pressing 2C to change up the timing, so getting out can be pretty tough if Ukyo's confident in his mixup.
However, don't abuse these options if your opponent is good at fuzzy guarding or has a decent invulnerable move. Getting blocked means you're going to eat a juicy punish, so as they show they can block correctly, your mixup becomes less braindead and requires you put more thought into which of his various options you use. Also note that Tsubame Gaeshi will go right over a 2D, and a poorly executed TK will result in it whiffing over some crouching opponents. Be confident in your execution when doing this mixup or else.
Poking
- 5B - The big button itself. If you don't know what best to use, you can choose this with relative impunity. Just be sure the opponent doesn't have a read on you.
- 2B - Not as catch-all as his other normals, but you can keep them from jumping by representing this. Know your range so this actually comes out.
- 2A - The quicker shorter range version of 5B. If they're too close for comfort, use this. It's especially great for catching desperate approaches.
- 2C - His best mash option up close. On hit or block you can mix up pretty effectively. Or just push them out of reach so you can go back to using slashes.
- 3C - A super active option you can stick out to beat buttons and make approaching difficult. Doesn't lead to the best oki but you can make room if this hits.
- 6C - Very quick decent range low option that leads to a pursuit and oki opportunities. Fairly safe when spaced.
- 236A - Unsafe counterpoke gimmick, but hard to react to and punish if used sparingly. Best used at around 5B distance; even better as a recoil cancel. Do not abuse this.
- 214S - Not too bad to wall them out with, actually. Does little damage but attempts to punish are tough to time correctly. Use sparingly if at all.
Punishing
- n.5B/n.2B xx 236S - Your fastest slash option that also does decent corner carry. See combos for version differences on 236S
- 6C - A low commitment punish if you act too late for anything else. Easily sets up further pressure.
- 5AB - 13f of pain. Great reach, startup, damage. Expect to die if this is blocked. Only use it for larger punishes.
- n.5AB - Hugely unsafe but not as much as 5AB. Being multihit means this can be exploded and does middling damage.
- 2AB - Alternative to 5AB. Similar damage/startup but slightly weaker. Still worth representing.
- 66AB - Buffer this during blockstun to reliably get it out faster. Great range, can punish from absurd distances even with minimum distance traveled.
- 66CD - With a run speed like that, why not?
- tk.1236A/B - If you fancy yourself as having fast reflexes, buffer this during blockstun (maybe even hitstun). His absolute fastest punish but also one of the riskiest. Very big gamble.
Time Slow vs. Rage
Ukyo's meditation is very strong. He gets a lot of bang for his buck meditating and his time slow is supremely threatening thanks to dangerous mixups that cash out for immense damage with Issen. His damage is already pretty strong without rage as well, so it's not like he really wants to rage. Find spots during slow moments to meditate, usually when the foe is too far to do anything but throw fireballs and try to chip you a bit.
With that in mind if you're in a very scramble-heavy match and you find yourself raging because you didn't have time to meditate don't fret. Ukyo rages for a long time (20 seconds) and his best punishes/mixups all do some seriously beefy damage with extended sword gauge. His bad WFT is tacit encouragement to play out the rage and capitalize hard on his increased damage. Just play your usual Ukyo game and make them hurt a lot for making a mistake.
Matchups
- vs. Rasetsumaru
- A reversal super will go clean through anything you try on wakeup, and he rages really fast. Watch out especially if he's raged in footsie range, because roll into WFT will blow you up hard. His rage doesn't last very long though and his super is mega unsafe. Shoulder crushes 2C spam and DP makes Tsubame Gaeshi completely whiff.
- vs. Jubei
- If you get too predictable, a good Jubei player can catch Tsubame Gaeshi with his high counter. He can even buffer it off of a blocked 2C and catch the overhead afterwards. A reversal 623 will beat your 2C.
- vs. Yoshitora
- His AB uppercut takes a while to get out but is invincible until the first active frame. If your 2C is early enough you can actually recover before his uppercut's first active frame, then block and punish.
- vs. Haohmaru
- Similar to Yoshitora in that a well-timed 2C meaty can whiff and recover in time for you to block and punish if he does 623S on his wakeup. 623AB is really fast so it might blow you up for a poorly timed one but has no invincibility. He outranges you with 5AB, but it's very easy to punish on reaction with 66AB if he doesn't commit to a wacky recoil option.
Frame Data
Move | Damage | Startup | Active | Total | Cancel | Weapon Clash |
Hit Adv. |
Backhit Adv. |
Block Adv. |
Guard | Notes |
5A | 6 | 9 | 2 | 25 | 1~2(2) / 9~14(6) | 8(1) | -6 | -6 | -12 | Mid | Weak attack, Deflectable(weak) |
5B | 12 | 8 | 2 | 34 | 11~15(5) | 7(1) | -8 | +0 | -18 | Mid | Medium attack, Deflectable(med) |
5AB | 31 | 13 | 2 | 52 | x | - | -2 | +8 | -34 | Mid | Heavy attack, Deflectable(heavy) |
2A | 5 | 5 | 2 | 20 | 1(1) / 7~11(5) | - | -5 | -5 | -6 | Mid | Weak attack, Deflectable(weak) |
2B | 11 | 8 | 3 | 40 | 1~4(4) | - | -9 | -1 | -18 | Mid | Medium attack, Deflectable(med) |
2AB | 29 | 12 | 1 | 49 | 1~6(6) | - | +0 | +10 | -32 | Mid | Heavy attack, Deflectable(heavy) |
n.5A | 5 | 5 | 3 | 16 | 1~4(4) / 5~13(9) | - | -1 | -1 | -6 | Mid | Weak attack, Deflectable(weak) |
n.5B | 8 | 8 | 1 | 40 | 8~11(4) | 6~7(2) | -14 | -6 | -18 | Mid | Medium attack, Deflectable(med) |
n.5AB | 5, 23 | 12 | 2 | 63 | 1~7(7) | 9~11(3) / 14(1) / 19(1) | -6 | +4 | -26 | Mid | Weak attack, Deflectable(heavy) |
n.2A | 4 | 5 | 5 | 16 | 1~2(2) / 5~12(8) | - | -1 | -1 | -6 | Mid | Weak attack, Deflectable(weak) |
n.2B | 6 | 6 | 6 | 23 | 6~15(10) | - | +1 | +9 | -12 | Mid | Medium attack, Deflectable(med) |
n.2AB | 5, 25 | 14 | 3 | 62 | 1~5(5) | - | -2 | +8 | -21 | Mid | Weak attack, Deflectable(heavy) |
5C | 5 | 8 | 4 | 35 | 1~4(4) | - | -9 | -1 | -22 | Mid | Medium attack |
6C | 7 | 5 | 11 | 34 | 1~2(2) | - | KD | KD | -24 | Low | Knockdown attack |
2C | 2 | 6 | 4 | 11 | x | - | +5 | +5 | +0 | Low | Weak attack |
3C | 6 | 5 | 10 | 28 | x | - | KD | KD | -24 | Mid | Knockdown attack 5-14f throw invincible |
j.A | 5 | 7 | 16 | 30 | 1~3(3) | - | -- | -- | -- | High | Weak attack, Deflectable(weak) |
j.B | 9 | 5 | 4 | 29 | 1~2(2) | - | -- | -- | -- | High | Medium attack, Deflectable(med) |
j8.AB | 26 | 10 | 3 | 33 | 1~5(5) | - | -- | -- | -- | High | Heavy attack, Deflectable(heavy) |
j7/9.AB | 25 | 12 | 5 | 27 | 1~5(5) | - | -- | -- | -- | High | Heavy attack, Deflectable(heavy) |
j.C | 3, 3 | 5 | 5 | 30 | x | - | -- | -- | -- | High | Heavy attack |
ju.C | 3, 3 | 5 | 5 | 30 | x | - | -- | -- | -- | High | Heavy attack |
5BC | 16 | 20 | 2 | 45 | x | - | KD | KD | -19 | High | Medium attack Knockdown attack |
u.5BC | 6 | 31 | 9 | 44 | x | - | KD | KD | -19 | High | Medium attack Knockdown attack |
66A | 5 | 11 | 8 | 33 | 1~3(3) | - | -4 | +4 | -26 | Mid | Medium attack, Deflectable(heavy) |
66B | 12 | 22 | 1 | 66 | x | - | KD | KD | -39 | Mid | Knockdown attack |
66AB | 15 | 4 | 2 | 38 | 1~2(2) | - | KD | KD | -29 | Mid | Knockdown attack 1-13f throw invincible |
66C | 4 | 6 | 12 | 32 | 1~3(3) | - | KD | KD | -21 | Low | Knockdown attack 1-17f throw invincible |
u.5S | 4 | 5 | 1 | 18 | 1(1) | - | -3 | -3 | -8 | Mid | Weak attack |
u.2S | 4 | 6 | 1 | 20 | x | - | -4 | -4 | -9 | Mid | Weak attack |
ju.S | 4 | 9 | 8 | 25 | x | - | -- | -- | -- | High | Medium attack |
u.66S | 4 | 6 | 1 | 24 | 1~2(2) | - | KD | KD | -13 | Mid | Knockdown attack 1-14f throw invincible |
u.66C | 4 | 6 | 12 | 32 | 1~3(3) | - | KD | KD | -21 | Low | Knockdown attack 1-17f throw invincible |
2BC | 6 | 21 | 7 | 68 | x | - | -- | -- | -- | Mid | |
u.2BC | 8 | 7 | 24 | 35 | x | - | -- | -- | -- | Mid | |
8BC | 13 | 40 | 38 | 101 | x | - | -- | -- | -- | Mid | |
u.8BC | 8 | 25 | 18 | 79 | x | - | -- | -- | -- | Mid | |
Tsubame Gaeshi - j.1236A | 18 | 3 | 6 | x | x | - | KD | KD | -41 | High | Medium attack Knockdown attack 16f landing recovery |
Tsubame Gaeshi - j.1236B | 21 | 3 | 6 | x | x | - | KD | KD | -48 | High | Medium attack Knockdown attack 23f landing recovery |
Tsubame Gaeshi - j.1236AB | 2x6, 24 | 10 | 7 | x | x | - | ?? | ?? | -75 | High | Medium attack Knockdown attack 45f landing recovery |
'Hi'ken Sasameyuki - 214C | x | x | x | 17 | x | - | -- | -- | -- | Mid | |
Hiken Sasameyuki - 214A | 5x5 | 19 | 2 | 61 | x | - | -4 | -4 | -17 | Mid | Medium attack |
Hiken Sasameyuki - 214B | 6x8 | 18 | 2 | 76 | x | - | -5 | -5 | -17 | Mid | Medium attack |
Hiken Sasameyuki - 214AB | 7x11 | 22 | 2 | 102 | x | - | -12 | -12 | -25 | Mid | Medium attack 1-12f throw invincible |
Zanzou Fumikomi Giri - 236A | 16 | 15 | 2 | x | x | - | KD | KD | -27 | Mid | Knockdown attack |
Zanzou Fumikomi Giri - 236B | 5, 18 | 15 | 2 | x | x | - | KD | KD | -36 | Mid | Medium attack Knockdown attack |
Zanzou Fumikomi Giri - 236AB | 5, 5, 10 | 15 | 2 | x | x | - | KD | KD | -34 | Mid | Heavy attack Knockdown attack |
Tsubame Rokuren - 236CD | 30 | 19 | 29 | 69 | x | - | KD | KD | -59 | High | Medium attack 14-47f above ground 22f landing recovery |