Dong Dong Never Die/Kenjiro

Kenjiro
Character Type: Industrial-Grade Blender
Home Province: Shanxi
Age: 32
Power: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Speed: ⭐
Health: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spirit: ⭐

Character Overview

Kenjiro (健次郎 jiàncìláng) is a powerful grappler-type character, boasting strong mid-range pokes and overwhelming close-range offense.

His long normals such as his 5B are great for keeping the opponent in check, with even his jabs boasting impressive range. Where Kenjiro really shines, though, is in the up-close game. Once he gets in close, either through careful movement and patience or by landing a far-ranged knockdown with his 2D, he can put his opponent in an inescapable blender with his unblockable DP, powerful tick throw game, and dangerous high-low mixup. What makes all of this even scarier is the range from which he can run his mixup game: his command grab goes farther than some of the cast's longest normals!

Despite these strengths, Kenjiro must earn his way in before he gets to reap the rewards. With slow movement speed, poor answers to fireballs, and a lack of good oki off his longer-ranged conversions, he can struggle until he gets within his desired range. Using Kenjiro properly requires patience and a good understanding of the game's universal movement options.

Play Kenjiro if you want a straightforward character with overwhelming offensive output that has a surprising amount of tech for advanced players.

Strengths

Weaknesses

King of Unblockables: Between his unblockable DP and inescapable tick throws into his command grab and command grab super, it is effectively impossible to avoid damage when Kenjiro gets in except by rolling. Huge Command Grabs: His Whirlwind Sit and command grab super have absurd range, allowing him to open the opponent up from very far away. Long Range Normals: Many of his normals, such as 5A, 5B, and 2D, have incredible range, allowing him to space opponents out effectively. Strong, Easy Hit Confirms: Kenjiro can easily confirm into a knockdown from any range, and has plenty of time to decide whether to spend a bar to extend a combo or not. High Damage: Nearly every hit Kenjiro lands is going to hurt, especially in rage. He is one of the few characters who can execute a 1-bar touch of death combo without infinites or the corner. High Health: Tied for second-highest health in the game after Bioman. Airspasm: The Airspasm glitch allows him to unleash a barrage of air attacks, allowing for highly damaging jump-ins and air-to-airs, safe instant overheads, and nasty left/right mixups. Suprisingly High Skill Ceiling: Perfect execution with Airspasm allows Kenjiro to get long pressure strings off of any j.B or j.D, which can lead to infinites if the opponent doesn't crouch to get out of them. Air-to-airs can lead to extended juggles reminiscent of Marvel vs. Capcom and Guilty Gear.

Slow Movement: His movement speed and options are among the worst in the game, which is bad because he needs to get in to be effective. Slow Attacks: His normals are slower to come out than most of the rest of the cast, and have more recovery as well. Bad Whiff Cancel Options: None of his specials are particularly safe to use after whiffing a normal. Bad Defense: Kenjiro lacks a good invincible super or fast moves to halt the opponent's pressure. Limited Juggle Options: Kenjiro doesn't have good ways to set up juggle infinites from grounded BnBs, and his conversions off of moves that knock down such as sweep and DP are rather weak. Kenjiro has to cancel moves like 214B that launch on the last hit early so that they don't mess up his follow ups. Big Hitbox: Kenjiro is the largest character in the game by far. His size makes him vulnerable to certain combos that don't work on other characters, and make it more difficult for him to deal with moves like Mario's air fireball.

Character Data

Health: 420

Meter Build per Hit: 12

Meter Build per Enemy Hit/Special Use: 9

Walk Speed: 2.2

Run Speed: 5.0

Prejump frames: 12 (forward/neutral), 24 (back)

Light Blockstun/Meter Gain: 34f/3

Heavy Blockstun/Meter Gain: 42f/6

Airspasm

Airspasm is a tech unique to Kenjiro that allows him to cancel air normals into each other and hit multiple times with the same air normal.

Activating the Airspasm

To activate the airspasm, simply dash and then jump out of the dash. That's it!

• It is possible to activate airspasm on a back/neutral jump, but the timing is a bit tricky.
• It is much easier to get a neutral or back jump airspasm out of a microdash. To do so, quickly tap 66 twice from a standing position, then immediately press 7/8. Make sure to release 6 before you press 7/8.

Airspasm Effects

• Airspasm allows you to cancel any air normal into any other air normal, at any point in the animation.
• Pressing a normal during its active frames will reactivate its hitbox, allowing you to hit an opponent with it multiple times in quick succession if the button is mashed.

Applications

First off, you might be tempted to just mash a single normal and just call it a day. And while mashing the same normal is the fastest way to deal damage in Airspasm, it isn't taking full advantage of everything this tech does. If you just input a single normal without canceling it, you won't be able to do anything else until you land: you can't actually cancel a normal into itself, only any other normal. To take full advantage of Airspasm, you need to utilize both the effects described above.

• Airspasm makes Kenjiro's jump-ins much more damaging. A deep j.B can hit 4 or more times on a standing opponent if perfectly mashed.
• It makes Kenjiro's jump-ins safer and his confirms more consistent, as it allows him to start a jumping attack early and still have a hitbox as he lands. Normally, characters have to decide whether to do an early jumping attack to deter potential anti-airs or a late jumping attack to get the most plus frames on landing. With Airspasm, Kenjiro can get the best of both worlds.
• It allows Kenjiro to combo off of rising jumping attacks, which normally would leave him vulnerable. The best normals to use while rising are j.C, which can hit crouching characters and hit multiple times on the way up, and j.A, which can hit most standing characters from far away. A strong sequence is to initiate an Airspasm forward jump at about the very end of 5A's range, then do j.A>j.C (mash)>j.D. If the j.A hits, the other hits should all combo if the opponent stays standing, dealing a ton of damage and building a huge amount of meter, as well as leading to a deep jump-in combo. The opponent can crouch mid-combo to avoid some of the hits, but they will be unable to block any other jumping attacks while crouching, so it's still very difficult to defend against.
• It gives him absurd looping juggles if he catches the opponent with an air-to-air. Being anywhere in the air is dangerous against a skilled Kenjiro.
• It gives Kenjiro relatively safe instant overheads that lead to further pressure. As mentioned previously, j.C can hit crouchers on the way up. With Airspasm, that j.C can be mashed for more damage and canceled to deter punishes on his landing. For maximum safety, you can use back jump Airspasm so you can cancel to j.A or j.B if the opponent tries to chase you (however, note that back jump has 12 extra startup frames compared to neutral/forward jump).
• It gives Kenjiro hard to defend left-right mixups. In the sequence starting from rising j.A described above, if the opponent blocks, it can turn into a crossup, as j.D and j.C can both crossup depending on how they are spaced. However, note that in DDND, you cannot be crossed up during a true blockstring: even if you get hit with a crossup hitbox, you will keep blocking as long as you keep holding the same direction. That means that to crossup with a cancel into j.C or j.D, you will have to intentionally leave a gap.
• Airspasm can be performed multiple times in a row with good execution, allowing Kenjiro to loop pressure strings and perform a pseudo-infinite off of any jump-in.

Normals

Note: Dong Dong Never Die's engine runs at 100 frames per second. Frame data and damage are taken directly from the game files.

5A This outranges Dong Dong's 5D lol This outranges Dong Dong's 5D lol	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Reaction Air Hit Reaction Block Reaction Meter Build 16 Mid 10 8 10 - - Light (+16) - VERY far-ranging jab. Links into all other lights, and is Kenjiro's longest-range light for chains. Whiffs on crouchers and standing Mario.

2A	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Reaction Air Hit Reaction Block Reaction Meter Build 15 Mid 10 8 9 - - Light (+17) - Similar to 5A, except it has slightly less range and hits crouchers.

j.A Gateway to Airspasm shenanigans Gateway to Airspasm shenanigans	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Reaction Air Hit Reaction Block Reaction Meter Build 15 High 8 10 Until Landing - - Light - Has the most horizontal range out of Kenjiro's air normals. Useful with Airspasm as a combo starter or an air-to-air. Can hit standing opponents on the way up.

cl.B	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Reaction Air Hit Reaction Block Reaction Meter Build 32 Mid 18 10 18 - - Heavy (+14) - Extremely plus on block heavy. Links to lights allowing Kenjiro to get two heavies in one gatling, although that usually pushes the opponent too far out for 214B which is part of most of his max damage combos. Annoyingly, whiffs on crouchers even though far 5B does not.

5B	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Reaction Air Hit Reaction Block Reaction Meter Build 32 Mid 24 10 33 - - Heavy (-1) - Kenjiro's most damaging heavy and preferred heavy in gatlings. Doesn't knock down so it can lead into 236D or 236236D. 6C will whiff when canceled at max range from this so from farther ranges go directly into 236D or 236236D. Decent poke in neutral.

2B	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Reaction Air Hit Reaction Block Reaction Meter Build 30 Mid 21 10 33 - - Heavy(-1) - Generally overshadowed by 5B, but is probably Kenjiro's best normal for anti-air.

j.B	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Reaction Air Hit Reaction Block Reaction Meter Build 30 High 21 15 Until Landing - - Heavy - Highly damaging jumping normal. Mediocre range but can do a lot of damage in Airspasm.

5C	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Reaction Air Hit Reaction Block Reaction Meter Build 15 Mid 10 8 11 - - Light (+15) - Has slightly less range than 2A. Unremarkable.

2C	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Reaction Air Hit Reaction Block Reaction Meter Build 14 Low 10 8 10 - - Light (+16) - Hits low. Like most of Kenjiro's normals has above-average range for its move type. Chains into every other light making it good as a combo starter.

j.C The stanky leg The stanky leg	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Reaction Air Hit Reaction Block Reaction Meter Build 14 High 8 10 Until Landing - - Light - Has a very low hitbox, can even hit crouch-blocking opponents on the way up if timed right. Its hitbox makes it ideal for instant overheads with Airspasm. Can cross up but not as consistently as j.D

5D	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Reaction Air Hit Reaction Block Reaction Meter Build 30 Mid 24 10 30 - - Heavy (+2) - Slow but long ranged poke. Usually outclassed by 5B.

2D "Neutral" "Neutral"	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Reaction Air Hit Reaction Block Reaction Meter Build 28 Low 23 10 33 - - Heavy (-1) - Sweep the size of Xinjiang Province. Can be used to fish for knockdowns from far away. Not recommended in combos due to Kenjiro having better options and not having any particularly good juggles out of it.

j.D	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Reaction Air Hit Reaction Block Reaction Meter Build 28 High 20 15 Until Landing - - Heavy - Kenjiro's main crossup air normal. Incredibly obnoxious with Airspasm because it allows you to hit normally and crossup in one jump in.

Command Normals

Car Jack Head 千斤顶 (qiānjīndǐng) 6C

Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Reaction Air Hit Reaction Block Reaction Meter Build 30 Mid 26 7 62 - - Heavy (-27) - Kenjiro's only command normal, and therefore an important part of his max damage combos. Not recommended in neutral due to slow startup, big hurtbox, and lack of good cancel options combined with high endlag. Will whiff when gatlinged into from max range 5B or 5D, so mainly gatlinged off of cl.B as part of a point-blank combo. Advances, which makes it good for comboing into specials and allows for a (very slow) sort of kara command grab.

Throws

Forward Throw 6B Throw range (both throws have the same range) Throw range (both throws have the same range) bonk bonk	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Reaction Air Hit Reaction Block Reaction Meter Build 42 N/A 1 - - - - Standard throw. Leads to infinites on some characters if done in the corner. Even though Kenjiro is a grappler, sometimes a normal throw can be useful because it will punish a roll if the roll is done after the throw starts up.

Back Throw 6D yeet yeet	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Reaction Air Hit Reaction Block Reaction Meter Build 42 N/A 1 - - - - If your back is to the wall as you start this throw you can get some really nasty followups, including highly damaging juggles and resets into itself, which can lead to an infinite.

Dead Angle Attack

Dead Angle Attack Kneecapper Kneecapper	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Reaction Air Hit Reaction Block Reaction Meter Build 23 Mid 15 10 26 Down - - - Standard dead angle. Animation is reminiscent of the hallway fight scene in Oldboy.

Specials

Ascending Hammer 升天锤 (shēngtiān chuí) 623A/B First active hitbox on B-DP First active hitbox on B-DP First active hitbox on A-DP, second on B-DP First active hitbox on A-DP, second on B-DP Second active hitbox on A-DP, third on B-DP Second active hitbox on A-DP, third on B-DP

Version Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Reaction Air Hit Reaction Block Reaction Meter Build 623A 42 N/A 33 8, 18 (can only hit once) Not directly obtainable from game files. About 40-60 frames. Down - N/A - COMPLETELY UNBLOCKABLE. This would be a game changer on any other character, but Kenjiro already effectively has unblockables with his tick throws, and this move comes out slower and has less range than said throws. Terrible option in neutral due to slow speed, lack of range, and long recovery. Can be super canceled during the first hitbox. Meaty normal > 623A/B is better than meaty normal > command grab if the opponent wakes up with backdash, as the command grab will whiff and open up Kenjiro to a punish while the DP will juggle. Both versions do slightly less damage than tick command grab but allow for a partial juggle into 236236B in the corner. Version Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Reaction Air Hit Reaction Block Reaction Meter Build 623B 18*3 N/A 25 10, 10, 20 (can hit once during each active period) Not directly obtainable from game files. About 50-70 frames. Down - N/A - B version works in more combos and does more damage than the A version when all 3 hits land. Second hit can be super canceled. A version is better when canceling to 236236B due to better damage and less scaling, or in situations where you can only get one hit. B version is usually better in juggles where the entire move can hit. Neither version is a particularly good anti-air due to very poor startup and no invulnerability, and neither version has any practical followups when used in a juggle other than some of the hits of 236236B. Both versions can combo after anti-air normals if the opponent is very close or in the corner but 623B is much more reliable.

Whirlwind Hammer 旋风锤 (xuánfēng chuí) 214A/B Note that there is no active hurtbox (blue) from the knees up. Note that there is no active hurtbox (blue) from the knees up.

Version Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Reaction Air Hit Reaction Block Reaction Meter Build 214A 18*3 Mid 21 5 on each hit, 50 (?) after final active period ends Down (Final hit) - Heavy (All hits, -13 on block if all hits connect) - Version Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Reaction Air Hit Reaction Block Reaction Meter Build 214B 18*4 Mid 21 5 on each hit, 20 (?) frame gap in between each hit 50 (?) after final active period ends Down (Final hit) - Heavy (All hits, -13 on block if all hits connect) - A and B version are very similar. B version hits 4 times while A version hits 3 times, and B version moves forward ~33.3% faster than A version. B version is almost always better, A version is technically safer on whiff but you shouldn't be whiffing this anyway. Upper-body invincible starting from frame 16, lasting until the last 30 recovery frames of the move. This makes it useful as an anti-air, and it can be used as an anti-fireball tool if you predict your opponent. Can punish fireballs even from farther ranges by whiff canceling to 236236D. Unsafe on block unless canceled to super. Can be used to build up chip before killing with super, but be mindful that it builds 24 meter for the opponent if all 4 hits are blocked. Primary use is as a combo filler. This is his only special that can combo into 236236D, and his best special for comboing into 236236B as it doesn't cause you to lose hits like 623A/B does in the corner. Very short range on the first hit and large gap between the first and second hit means you need to be close to combo into it, limiting your routes. It's especially difficult to combo into when the opponent is cornered, but thankfully command grab gets much better as an ender in the corner due to better oki. Either version can be super canceled starting from the moment the first active hitbox comes out all the way until the final 30 frames. When confirming to super, make sure to cancel on the second-to-last hit, as the last hit launches, which will cause 236236D to whiff and 236236B to lose hits.

Whirlwind Sit 旋风坐 (xuánfēng zuò) 236C/D Actin' like you won't... Actin' like you won't...

Version Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Reaction Air Hit Reaction Block Reaction Meter Build 236C 50 (unaffected by scaling) N/A 12 8 60 Down - N/A - Version Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Reaction Air Hit Reaction Block Reaction Meter Build 236D 60 (unaffected by scaling) N/A 18 8 60 Down - N/A - Centerpiece of Kenjiro's gameplan. The big gimmick with this move is that every single one of his grounded normals outside of max range 2D leads to an inescapable tick throw if immediately canceled into 236C or 236D. This enables him to get guaranteed damage whether his moves are hit or blocked and gives him incredibly strong oki and setplay. C version is marginally faster, while D version deals more damage. D version is almost always better because everything that ticks into the C version also ticks into the D version. Has RIDICULOUS range, going farther than many characters' longest normals. Lack of damage scaling and far range make it the max damage meterless ender for most of his longer combos. Cannot be extended into a super for more damage, so for metered max damage use 214B>super if close or go straight into super from a normal if further away. Sends the opponent fullscreen unless they hit the corner meaning you get no oki on quick rise. Consider using routes into 214B or 236236B from midscreen for better oki. For whatever reason, if a projectile gets close to Kenjiro while the hitbox of his command grab is out, it will cancel the command grab animation and he will be invulnerable to that projectile for a little while, allowing him to walk through it. This makes for an unconventional but effective way of getting through projectiles, if you can get the timing down.

Supers

Hundred-Crack Fist of the North Star 北斗百裂拳 (běidǒubǎilièquán) 236236B ATATATATATATA ATATATATATATA

Version Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Reaction Air Hit Reaction Block Reaction Meter Build Normal 18*8 Mid 15f invuln+60f super freeze+11f startup 7f on each hit, 18f gap between hits 42 Down - Heavy (+0) - Outside of rage, does more damage than 236236D on paper but will end up doing less due to scaling. Harder to confirm into than 236236D due to less range. Best/most damaging confirming option is generally a gatling into 214B. Not recommended to use on block despite being safe: it will build a lot of meter for your opponent, and 236236D can hard punish blockers anyway. Has i-frames before the super freeze, but they don't last until the first active frame, making this a very unreliable reversal. Main reasons to use it outside of rage are better corner carry/okizeme, ability to burn multiple bars in one combo by canceling it into 236236D or another 236236B, and ability to partially juggle after Whirlwind or DP (although some hits will drop and the opponent may fall out completely unless used in the corner). Also builds a lot of meter on its own. Pay attention to how close you are to filling your next bar, as you can often use it to build enough meter to cancel into another super. Not recommended to burn more than 2 bars on this super in a row before cashing out with 236236B, as the multihit nature means it will quickly be scaled. Version Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Reaction Air Hit Reaction Block Reaction Meter Build Rage 35*2+18*10 Mid 15f invuln+60f super freeze+11f startup 7f on each hit, 18f gap between hits 42 Down - Heavy (+0) - Within rage, does more damage than 236236D unless done from a 6+ hit combo at which point scaling makes it do less. Scaling affects repeated 236236B's even more in rage due to more hits. Not recommended to cancel 236236B into itself, as most characters will die from a cancel to 236236D anyway (assuming you've already dealt some damage in order to confirm into 236236B). If you're doing super to super cancels, make sure to cancel on the 7th hit outside of rage and the 11th hit in rage. The final hit will knock down and cause you to lose damage on the next super.

Remorseful Fist of the North Star 北斗百裂拳 (běidǒucānhuìquán) 236236D 一！二！三！ 一！二！三！ 终止了! 终止了!

Version Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Reaction Air Hit Reaction Block Reaction Meter Build Normal 130 (unaffected by scaling) N/A 60f super freeze+10f startup 8 60 Down - N/A - Max damage combo ender outside of juggle scenarios. Like his command grab special, has deceptively large range, allowing it to be confirmed even from max range 5B. Cannot grab airborne opponents, so it cannot be used to extend juggles. Also forces you to cancel 214A/B and 236236B before they reach their final hits to confirm it. Can be whiff canceled from 214A/B to take advantage of that move's upper-body invincibility to punish fireballs and highs, but it's pretty awkward to use this way. Version Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Hit Reaction Air Hit Reaction Block Reaction Meter Build Rage 180 (unaffected by scaling) N/A 60f super freeze+10f startup 8 60 Down - N/A - Rage usage does not differ significantly from normal usage. Decision-making in terms of what super to use differs from non-rage: see the 236236B description for a more in-depth explanation.

Combos

Grounded BnBs

Light starter

• 5A has the best range of Kenjiro's lights, but will whiff on crouchers and Mario

• 2A is Kenjiro's best mid for starting and continuing combos on crouchers, and is also his best microdash button in theory

• 2C is Kenjiro's best low combo starter

Any combo that works off a 5A starter should also work off of any other light starter!!!

Cl.B whiffs on crouchers so substitute 5D or 2B on crouching opponents. However, certain combos are only possible with Cl.B as it links into lights.

Meterless

5A>5B>236D (108 damage)

• Works even from max range
• Puts the opponent at 3/4 screen, or closer if they reach the corner

5A>5B>6C>236D (137 damage)

• 6C will connect after 5B from slightly closer than max range

5A>cl.B>2A>5B>236D (153 damage)

• Works off of a point-blank 5A
• Can work from slightly farther out if you incorporate microdashes in between the links
• Have to use 2A instead of 5A on third hit because the opponent can crouch at that point

5A>cl.B>6C>214B (141 damage)

• Gives better oki than a combo into 236D at midscreen
• Works farther out than the above combo
• Drops in the corner

1 bar

5A>5B>236236D (178 damage, 228 in rage)

• Works from max range

5A>cl.B>6C>214B>236236D (256 damage, 306 in rage)

• Cancel 214B on the third hit or the super will whiff
• Works at close range
• Drops in the corner
• ToD against 1⭐ health characters in rage

2 bars

5A>cl.B>6C>214B>236236B>236236D (362 damage, 479 in rage)

• ToD against 2⭐ health characters
• ToD against everyone except Bioman in rage

5B/2B/5D starter

All interchangeable for the purpose of starting combos, although 5B is generally the best.

Meterless

5B>236D (92 damage)

• Interestingly, this works even at ranges where raw 236D won't connect

5B>6C>236D (122 damage)

• Usable from slightly closer than max range

5B>214B (100 damage)

• Gives better oki than a combo into 236D at midscreen

Don't try to do 5B>6C into DP or spin!! At any range where this would work you would have gotten cl.B instead of 5B.

cl.B starter

All light starter combos that use cl.B should work from the point cl.B is used onward

Meterless

cl.B>5A>2A>5B>236D (153 damage)

• Works from point-blank cl.B
• Can work from slightly farther out if you incorporate microdashes in between the links

cl.B>5A>5B>236D

• Works off of a close range cl.B

cl.B>6C>214B

• Works off of a max range cl.B
• Drops in the corner

1 Bar

cl.B>6C>214B>236236B/236236D

• Works off of a max range cl.B

2D starter

At any range where 2C would hit, it (2C) gives more rewarding combos. Combos off of a far 2D are very dissapointing.

• From just outside 2C range, you can combo 2D>214A. You only get two hits max, so it's better to do 214A than 214B. Can get a partial juggle into 236236B.
• From slightly farther out, you can land the final hit of 623B.
• Kenjiro gets no combo off of 2D from anywhere farther than 2A distance.
• 2D combos are not improved by the corner, outside of better juggles into 236236B.

Jump-ins

Kenjiro can use Airspasm to make all his jump-ins hit multiple times, greatly improving his damage output and making it easier to land a deep jump-in. His jump ins, from most to least useful, are:

j.B

Leaves the opponent at approximately the tip of cl.B range on a deep connect at midscreen, and point-blank in the corner. Refer to Grounded BnBs for the appropriate follow-ups.

j.D

Leaves the opponent at similar ranges as j.B on front connect, but leaves them point-blank on crossup from any screen position. Refer to Grounded BnBs for the appropriate follow-ups.

j.C

Leaves the opponent point-blank if spaced properly. Can sometimes pass through the opponent on landing even if it does not appear to cross up. Can hit the opponent from very early on the way down in Airspasm making it difficult to anti-air.

j.A

Only worth using as a jump-in at max range, at which point the only followups are max range 5A stuff.

Anti-Airs

Kenjiro's main anti-airs, ordered from most to least useful, are:

Instant Airspasm j.A

j.A is a fast air-to-air with a great hitbox that can lead to followups if performed with Airspasm. Kenjiro's most rewarding anti-air if you can pull it off, as it leads to very freeform juggles. There is a huge variety of tricks you can pull between infinite air normal juggles, juggles to grounded moves and back to air normals, and resets into crossup situations. Because of Airspasm's versatility, the best way to learn how to use it is to get a feel for the hitboxes and hitstun animations for each jumping normal, as well as the kind of grounded tools you can use to extend Airspasm juggles (5A and 2A are the most useful).

5A

Has a long, high hitbox that can stuff jumps as they are starting up, or hit jump-ins from far away. 5A>microdash 5A>microdash 5A...

• Works from midscreen, but leads to loops/infinites in the corner
• Can cash out with 5B if you feel like the opponent is about to fall out

5A>623B

• Can consistently pick up 1 or 2 hits at decent ranges.

5A>instant Airspasm j.A>air normals

• Demanding in execution, but very rewarding if you can pull it off, as Airspasm juggles lead to some of Kenjiro's highest damage.

2B

Kenjiro's only grounded normal that is significantly disjointed above him. Also lowers his profile. Consistent, but has poor followups.

2B>214B

• Will land 2 hits if the opponent is close and relatively low to the ground when 2B connects.
• Will land 3 hits closer to the corner.
• Better option than 623B if you have meter because it's easier to save your super.

2B>623B

• Will land 2 hits at most midscreen and only if the opponent is very close.
• Can land all 3 hits and partially in the corner.
• Difficult to do with meter due to input overlap with 236236B.

2B>microdash 5A loops

• Corner only, but can be picked up from about half a jump's distance away from the corner due to Kenjiro's long 5A.

214A/B

Has upper-body invincibility starting from the first active frames, allowing it to beat most jump-ins clean. Only follow-up is a cancel to 236236B.

Airspasm Combos (not juggles)

Rising j.A starter (somewhat fake, read the notes)

Start at around the tip of 5A distance, dash, forward jump, and hit A immediately when you go into the air. Instant j.A will whiff on Mario but will hit most characters if timed right (needs further testing).

1 bar

j.A>j.C (mash, 5 hits)>j.D>5A>cl.B>6C>214B>236236D (332 damage, 382 in rage)

• Much harder or impossible to do on shorter characters like Mian Hua Tang due to the j.C whiffing or not comboing. The j.C needs to be pressed early enough so that it hits on the way up, but late enough that it is still active on the way down to pick up more hits. Full combo confirmed possible on Ken and Yin Yin.
• If the opponent reacts fast enough they can crouch to avoid some of the hits of j.C. An experienced player will probably crouch on reaction whenever they get hit, but if they crouch, it is more difficult for them to block further jumping normals. A savvy opponent can crouch to get out of the combo, then hold left/right and release down to instantly stand block, but j.C and j.D can both cross up so they will still have to guess. If they guess wrong, you only lose a couple j.C's and your combo scaling gets reset.
• Cancel the third hit of 214B, if the fourth hit lands 236236D won't connect.
• ToD on most 2⭐ health characters even outside of rage.

2 bars

j.A>j.C (mash, 5 hits)>j.D>5A>cl.B>6C>214B>236236B>236236D (400 damage, 499 in rage)

• Cancel the seventh hit of 236236B outside of rage and the eleventh hit in rage
• ToD outside of rage on everyone it works on except Terminator, Xiao Pan, Kenjiro, Da Lan, Violent Dong Dong, and Bioman.
• ToD in rage on everyone except Bioman (and the bonus round Car lol) provided the beginning section of the combo connects.

Can spend a third bar to make it a ToD on Bioman as well.

Pseudo-infinite

With perfect execution, it is possible to combo an instant rising Airspasm j.A off of a deep j.C or j.D. The hardest part is instantly dashing and jumping after landing the j.C/D, the most consistent way I've found to time it is to buffer the first 6 input as you're landing from the j.C/D, then press 9 right as the landing lag wears off. If you manage to combo the rising Airspasm j.A, you can lead into the j.A>j.C>j.D string described above, which can loop into another instant Airspasm j.A. The opponent can avoid the reset into j.A and most of the hits of j.C by crouching out of hitstun, however, this will make it more difficult for them to block subsequent jump-ins and will open them up to instant overhead j.C. The opponent can roll out if you leave a gap ̶b̶u̶t̶ ̶r̶o̶l̶l̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶i̶s̶ ̶b̶u̶s̶t̶e̶d̶ ̶a̶n̶y̶w̶a̶y̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶w̶o̶u̶l̶d̶ ̶b̶e̶ ̶r̶e̶s̶t̶r̶i̶c̶t̶e̶d̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶a̶ ̶h̶y̶p̶o̶t̶h̶e̶t̶i̶c̶a̶l̶ ̶c̶o̶m̶p̶e̶t̶i̶t̶i̶v̶e̶ ̶s̶e̶t̶t̶i̶n̶g̶.

Throw Combos (Corner Only)

You need to be facing the corner to combo out of 6B throw, and facing away from the corner to combo out of 6D throw.

6B throw>5A>microdash 5A>microdash 5A etc.

• Standard DDND corner juggle infinite, but notable because Kenjiro lacks ways to set it up from his BnBs.
• Character specific, confirmed to work on Fei Fei, Ken, and Kenjiro, fails on high throw pushback characters like Mario and A Shuang.

Dash to clip into opponent>6B throw>5A>microdash 5A>microdash 5A etc.

• Works on more characters than the above method due to better spacing.
• It's easier to clip into the opponent when they're waking up or after an air reset. Walking can also work.
• You'll know that you've got the spacing right if the opponent's model is literally inside Kenjiro's bicep as he grabs them.

6B throw>microdash 5C>5B>623A (129 damage)

• Only use if you're too noble to go for infinites.
• Doesn't work on A Shuang or Mario due to higher throw pushback, 5B doesn't connect on Xiao Pan due to pushback. Probably more characters this doesn't work on, requires more testing.
• 623A is used instead of 623B because the heavy version only gets a single hit, which does less damage than single hit light version.
• Can be somewhat difficult to execute due to accidentally getting 6C instead of microdash 5C. 2A can be used instead on some characters, and larger characters don't require a microdash to link 5C.
• If you stop at 5C the opponent will be air reset and you can dash in for a cheeky throw reset. 2A has 2 less frames of recovery making it even better for this purpose if you can land it. This is more often than not a better option than the full combo!!
• No metered extensions afaik.

6D throw>5A>microdash 5A>microdash 5A etc.

• Another corner juggle infinite.
• Works on most characters, but not Mario.

6D throw>cl.B>6D throw reset

• Character specific, confirmed to work on Dong Dong.
• Requires a very specific spacing with your back to the wall.
• If timed correctly, can loop into itself. This seems to be a reset infinite as there are a few frames after the opponent lands from an air reset where they cannot roll but you can still start up a throw.