Melty Blood/MBAACC/Kouma Kishima/Half Moon

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To-do

Combos: Add meter gain/given numbers and video links to the pre-existing combos.

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Additional Resources

H-Kouma Match Video Database

Notable Players

Name	Color	Region	Common Venues	Status	Details
Aces_High/Aodhan		North America	Netplay	Active	The most active H-Kouma player. Uses multiple colors.
JIN (JIN#7090)		Japan	A-cho, Nihonbashi Athena	Inactive	Mostly plays C-Kouma, but used to also play H-Kouma. Footage is old and might be outdated.

Overview

Playstyle

H-Kouma is a pressure-oriented rushdown character who can make even the most defensive opponents scared to block.
Pros	Cons
Large Health Pool: Has the 5th highest health in the game, which allows him take some more hits than most other characters. Amazing Pressure: While he cannot charge anything for stagger purposes, he has many options to keep the enemy in place whilst also keeping himself safe, especially in the corner. He still has access to the command grab as well, which means his pressure can be very scary to go up against. Unique Movement: H-Kouma has access to a unique j.22B that is angled upwards, a 5A6AA that moves him forward a lot, and is generally the most mobile of all the Kouma moons. Good Mixups After Command Grab: H-Kouma gets good setups off of his command grab.	Poor Air Confirms: Due to H-Kouma's combo rules, he cannot get good damage off of an air hits unless he gets a counter hit, hurting his air presence a bit. His air moves can be buffered into j.236B. Bad Meter Management: H-Kouma's meter gain is pretty lackluster, short combos and Half Moon mechanics mean he frequently ends up below the 100 meter mark.

General Gameplan

Half Moon Kouma has less options than Crescent and Full, since he can't charge any normals, and loses his overhead. So what makes H-Kouma so special? In short, Half has slightly better aerial movement, and gains some tweaks to Crescent’s moveset, in exchange for lower damage output. So now, his normals have better priority; mix that up with some buffed aerial movement, the ability to Reverse Beat, some command grabs, and you have yourself a mixed bag character that can easily make anybody scared to block against him.

Neutral

Probably the hardest part of Kouma's playstyle that you have to master. The fact that he has little to no zoning capabilities hurts his overall neutral game. However, his normals have gained several important buffs from Crescent Moon in order to make his horizontal approach much easier. He retains the spammy 5A in order to force people to block, and his 2B and 5C have improved reach and priority. 2B is your most reliable anti-air in your arsenal, so use it wisely. He has the best air game potential due to his altered j.22B, which gives some additional vertical hang time. His airdash was somewhat nerfed in terms of speed, so 66 > AT will not be as subtle as C or F-Moon. When Kouma is under pressure, he has very little reliable options; 214C is a gamble more than anything. Either they eat 3k or you eat 3k, possibly more. 5A would be your best bet to do anything to poke out of pressure, otherwise you have 2E (dodge) for the slower side of your enemy's normals and Shield for everything else.

Pressure

Tick throws, tick throws everywhere. Kouma is definitely strong in the pressure department, and while H-Kouma can't charge anything for a stagger, he still has a variety of options in order to keep the enemy in place, particularly in the corner. You can Reverse Beat to make yourself safe and make the blockstrings feel nearly endless, especially since you have a command grab. His main mindgame is making the enemy have the opposite mindset of what they think you will do next. Simply put, be unpredictable with your pressure choices.

Okizeme

214A

Kouma has access to sandoori and drift mixups after these knockdowns. The former consists of a super jump forward and an airdash back coupled with a falling j.C. The j.C can hit (same side, high) or whiff, allowing Kouma to instead use 2A for a fast low or 214A for a command grab. The drift mixup simply involves dashing forward, neutral jumping, and holding back, allowing Kouma to come down on either side of his opponent for a meaty 2A. For both mixups, 5C, 2B, and 214A are useful against opponents who like to shield. You're able to use 22C following a 214A knockdown as well to gain armor and have time to meaty. This armor will allow you to armor through wakeup options such as heat and various other reversals (e.g. Nanaya 623x) and be able to punish.

Defense

Blocking is the name of the game for H-Kouma, your best bet for surviving on defense is to block it out and look for openings in your opponent's pressure. Use 5A and 5C to catch redashes or to call out minus on block moves. 236A/B have their uses for catching your opponent running predictable offense, but they only give you 1 hit of armor so using them defensively requires confidence and if you're wrong you will eat a full counterhit combo and be put right back on defense. It is important to note that if you land a counterhit 236A you will have time to land a full combo. You also have access to H-moon bunker which is a costly but very strong option since it allows H-Kouma to run a sandoori mixup if it lands, just make sure you aren't predictable with your bunker attempts because strong opponents will either OS it with something like 5A6EEE or jump over it and punish.

Metered Defensive Options

236C: Very high risk, very little invincibility. More often than not, this will trade and you will lose 100 meter for nothing. If it lands you'll more than likely get a full combo and have your opponent in the corner.

214C: Extremely high risk, full invincibility but terrible recovery. Best used during your opponent's blockstrings to punish a gap in their pressure since 214C can grab outstretched hitboxes. Use this sparingly on wakeup as an aware opponent can easily avoid it and land a heavy punish.

22C: Relatively low risk, most characters cannot punish this if blocked except for those with excellent forward dashes like Tohno who gets a guaranteed throw punish. Best used on wakeup to avoid L/R mixups. No need to guess when you can mash 22C, even so unless this counter hits Kouma is going right back to neutral and on block this move is -10 allowing most of the cast to hit him repeatedly until the armor wears off essentially negating the armor. When using 22C on wakeup its best to try and return to neutral once you have the armor. Alternatively, you can risk a 5A/2A mash but these are never guaranteed. Also keep in mind that opponents who meaty with 5A/2A can whiff cancel those normals into throw and throw you out of 22C before it becomes active.

623C: High risk, your standard metered DP, hits for a decent chunk of damage and has full invincibility. Can be easily punished on block and puts the opponent in the air above Kouma on hit.

TK j.236C: Low risk, basically 623C but better. You're plus on block and on hit you get a confirm into a hard knockdown. Meter is hard to come by on H-Kouma, but out of all your reversals, this is arguably the best to spend your meter on. Getting the TK on wakeup can be tricky so be sure to practice this before you start busting it out in real matches.

Combos

Combo Notation Help
Disclaimer: Combos are written by various writers, so the actual notation used in pages can differ from the standard one. For more information, see Glossary and Controls.
X > Y	X input is cancelled into Y.
X > delay Y	Must wait for a short period before cancelling X input into Y.
X, Y	X input is linked into Y, meaning Y is done after X's recovery period.
X+Y	Buttons X and Y must be input simultaneously.
X/Y	Either the X or Y input can be used.
X~Y	This notation has two meanings. Use attack X with Y follow-up input. Input X then within a few frames, input Y. Usually used for option selects.
X(w)	X input must not hit the opponent (Whiff).
j.X	X input is done in the air, implies a jump/jump cancel if the previous move was done from the ground. Applies to all air chain sections: Assume a forward jump cancel if no direction is given. Air chains such as j.A > j.B > j.C can be shortened to j.ABC.
sj.X	X input is done after a super jump. Notated as sj8.X and sj9.X for neutral and forward super jumps respectively.
dj.X	X input is done after a double jump.
sdj.X	X input is done after a double super jump.
tk.X	Stands for Tiger Knee. X motion must be buffered before jumping, inputting the move as close to the ground as possible. (ex. tk.236A)
(X)	X is optional. Typically the combo will be easier if omitted.
[X]	Input X is held down. Also referred to as Blowback Edge (BE). Depending on the character, this can indicate that this button is held down and not released until indicated by the release notation.
]X[	Input X is released. Will only appear if a button is previously held down. This type of input is referred to as Negative Edge.
{X}	Button X should only be held down briefly to get a partially charged version instead of the fully charged one.
X(N)	Attack "X" should only hit N times.
(XYZ)xN	XYZ string must be performed N times. Combos using this notation are usually referred to as loops.
(XYZ^)	A pre-existing combo labelled XYZ is inserted here for shortening purposes.
CH	The first attack must be a Counter Hit.
Air CH	The first attack must be a Counter Hit on an airborne opponent.
66	Performs a ground forward dash.
j.66	Performs an aerial forward dash, used as a cancel for certain characters' air strings.
IAD/IABD	Performs an Instant AirDash.
AT	Performs an Air Throw. (j.6/4A+D)
IH	Performs an Initiative Heat.
AD	Performs an Arc Drive.
AAD	Performs an Another Arc Drive.

Instead of ending combos with j.C > j.22B > AT, you can also do j.C > j.236B~236B.
You will lose oki, but you will gain a little extra damage and an additional 11.9% meter.
It is debatable which one is better.

About 2C > delay 236B. The delay is dependent on gravity and character. Gravity can be controlled with 5A/2A amount.
For example, Arc with 3x A button starter doesn't even need delay.
VSion doesn't need delay with 4x A button starter. Check Character specific notes for more info.

5C 2B 5B chain is better than 5B 2B 5C. Even when you rebeat into it. This is true for multiple reasons:

1. 5C 2B 5B is ordered by "damage first". This is better, since combo hit count impacts the damage. For example 5A 5B 2B 5C does 1933, while 5A 5C 2B 5B does 1945. (Instead of 5A, other starters will give even more benefit due to proration).
2. 5C has the highest(or = to highest) prorate value of any starter. Also, any consecutive button has prorate value less than 77.5%, highest being 2A with 75%. Because rebeat only adds 22.5% to the proration in the first rebeat instance, a rebeat can be included in the combo without downsides.

The only small problem with 5C 2B 5B is range, it falls of a bit quicker than 5B 2B 5C.
5C 5B 2B is also good. Almost identical in damage to 5C 2B 5B but easier to do (less direction changes).

Combos

Meterless

Condition Notation Damage vs V.Sion Notes
Normal starter 2AAA > 5B > 5C > 5A6AA > delay 2C > 6C > j.C > 22B > AT 3944 Meter Gained: 51.1% Meter Given (vs C-Moon): 21.9% Easy, but not optimal. Only go for it if it's the only one you can land.
Normal starter 2AAA > 5B > 2B > 5C > 2C > delay 236B, 5AA > 5C > 2B > j.C > j.22B > AT 4756 Meter Gained: 60.2% Meter Given (vs C-Moon): 25.8% H-Kouma's best meterless BNB.
Raw Airthrow starter 5AA > 5C > 2B > j.C > j.22B > AT 2702 Meter Gained: 23.1% Meter Given (vs C-Moon): 9.9% You can omit one 5A if you can't time opponent dropping lower.
Corner OTG 2C > 5C > 5AAA6A > 2A > 5A6A > 5B > 2B 2164 Meter Gained: 43.4% Meter Given (vs C-Moon): 18.6% You can catch forward tech (out of the corner) if you jump backwards delay j.C after it.

Metered

Condition Notation Damage vs V.Sion Notes
Normal starter Midscreen or closer to corner 2AAA > 5B > 2B > 5C > 2C > delay 236B, 5A > 236C, 5A > 5C > 2B > j.C > j.236B~236B 5253 Meter Gained: -46.8% Meter Given (vs C-Moon): 34.2% Meter dump variant of the optimized BNB.
Normal starter Midscreen or closer to corner 2AAA > 5B > 2B > 5C > 2C > delay 236B, 5A > 236C > (tiny walk back) > 2C > 2B > 5C > j.C > j.236B~236B 5407 Meter Gained:  ??? Meter Given (vs C-Moon): ??? More finnicky version. 2C timing is weird and sometimes it turns you around, walk back prevents that. This combo is probably character specific too.
Normal starter Corner to corner 2AAA > 5B > 2B > 5C > 2C > delay 236B, 5A > 236C > dash > 2C > 2B > 5C > j.C > j.236B~236B 5407 Meter Gained:  ??? Meter Given (vs C-Moon): ??? This combo is same as above, but with a dash after 236C.
Normal starter Corner to corner Works On: Arc at least 2AAA > 5B > 2B > 5C > 2C > delay 236B, 5A > 2C > 236C > dash > 2C > 2B > 5C > j.C > j.236B~236B 5196 Meter Gained:  ??? Meter Given (vs C-Moon): ??? 5A > 2C link is easier on some characters than others. Works on Arc for example, gives 5196. Probably works on fat characters.
Normal starter OTG Throw > No tech > Dash > 5B > 5C > 5AAA > 2B > 236C > 5B > 5C > 2B > j.C > j.236B~236B 3904 Meter Gained:  ??? Meter Given (vs C-Moon): ??? Damaging combo off of no tech. Note that throw into dash 5B would also catch all techs anyway. So this basically means if H-Kouma has 100% meter when throwing close to corner, he gets 3.9k or more.

Character specific notes

Character	Minimum hit count to not have to delay 236B The hit count includes 2C. (Example)	Can do 5A/2A into 2C extension?	Can do 2C after doing ...236B 5A 236C in the corner without microwalk? (Note)
Aoko	1 (just 2C)	Yes	No. But can do 5A/2A 2C.
Tohno	1 (just 2C)	Yes	No. But can do 5A/2A 2C (hard).
Hime	5	No	Yes.
Nanaya	3	No	No. But can do 5A/2A 2C (hard).
Kouma	4	No	Yes.
Miyako	2	Yes, with at least 7 hit count before 236B	No. Can do 5A/2A 2C (hard).
Ciel	4	No	Yes.
Sion	10 (Note)	No	Yes.
Ries	8	No	No. Use universal 5B 5C 2B.
VSion	8	Yes, but need delay after 5A/2A	Yes.
Wara	7	No	Yes, weird timing (delay).
Roa	4	No	Yes.
Maids	Check single maid	Check single maid	Check single maid
Akiha	8	Yes, with at least 7 hit count before 236B, need delay after 5A/2A	Yes.
Arc	1 (just 2C)	Yes	No. But can do 5A/2A 2C.
PCiel	1 (just 2C)	Yes	No. But can do 5A/2A 2C.
WArc	6	No	No. Use universal 5B 5C 2B.
VAkiha	6	No	Yes.
Mech	5	No	Yes.
Seifuku	8	No	Yes.
Satsuki	7	No	Yes.
Len	9 (Note)	No	No. Use universal 5B 5C 2B.
Ryougi	3	No	No. But can do 5A/2A 2C.
WLen	1 (just 2C)	Yes	No. But can do 5A/2A 2C (hard).
Nero	7	No	Yes. (Corner gap mix)
NAC	1 (just 2C)	Yes	Yes. (Corner gap mix)
KohaMech	1 (just 2C)	Yes	Yes.
Hisui	6	No	Yes.
Neco	1 (just 2C)	Yes	Yes. (Corner gap mix)
Kohaku	1 (just 2C)	Yes	Yes.
NecoMech	5	No	Yes.

Move Descriptions

Frame Data Help
Header	Tooltip
Move Box Colors	Light gray = Collision Box (A move lacking one means it can go through the opponent's own collision box). Green: Hurt Boxes. Red: Hit(/Grab) Boxes. Yellow: Clash Boxes (When an active hitbox strikes a clash box, the active hitbox stops being active. Multi-hit attacks can beat clash since they will still progress to the next hitbox.) Magenta: Projectile-reflecting boxes OR Non-hit attack trigger boxes (usually). Blue: Reflectable Projectile Boxes.
Damage	Base damage done by this attack. (X) denotes combined and scaled damage tested against standing V. Sion.
Red Damage	Damage done to the recoverable red health bar by this attack. The values are inherently scaled and tested against standing V. Sion. (X) denotes combined damage.
Proration	The correction value set by this attack and the way it modifies the scaling during a string. See this page for more details. X% (O) means X% Overrides the previous correction value in a combo if X is of a lower percentage. X% (M) means the current correction value in a combo will be Multiplied by X%. This can also be referred to as relative proration.
Circuit	Meter gained by this attack on hit. (X%) denotes combined meter gain. -X% denotes a meter cost.
Cancel	Actions this move can be cancelled into. SE = Self cancelable. N = Normal cancelable. SP = Special cancelable. CH = Cancelable into the next part of the same attack (Chain in case of specials). EX = EX cancelable. J = Jump cancelable. (X) = Cancelable only on hit. -X- = Cancelable on whiff.
Guard	The way this move must be blocked. L = Can block crouching H = Can block standing. A = Can block in the air. U = Unblockable.
Startup	Amount of frames that must pass prior to reaching the active frames. Also referred to as "True Startup".
Active	The amount of frames that this move will have a hitbox. (x) denotes frame gaps where there are no hitboxes is present. Due to varied blockstuns, (x) frames are difficult to use to determine punish windows. Generally the larger the numbers, the more time you have to punish. X denotes active frames with a duration separate from its origin move's frame data, such as projectile attacks. In this case, the total length of the move is startup+recovery only.
Recovery	Frames that this move has after the active frames if not canceled. The character goes into one frame where they can block but not act afterwards, which is not counted here.
Advantage	The difference in frames where you can act before your opponent when this move is blocked (assuming the move isn't canceled and the first active frame is blocked). If the opponent uses a move with startup that is at least 2 frames less than this move's negative advantage, it will result in the opponent hitting that move. ±x~±y denotes a range of possible advantages.
Invul	Lists any defensive properties this move has. X y~z denotes X property happening between the y to z frames of the animations. If no frames are noted, it means the invincibility lasts through the entire move. Invicibility: Strike = Strike invincible. Throw = Throw invincible. Hurtbox-Based Properties: Full = No hurtboxes are present. High = Upper body lacks a hurtbox. Low = Lower body lacks a hurtbox. Miscellaneous Properties Clash = Frames in which clash boxes are active. Reflect = Frames in which projectile-reflecting boxes are active. Super Armor = Frames in which the character can take hits without going into hit stun.

Normal Moves

Standing Normals

5A

5A 5A~6A~6A

5A Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 300 192 70% (O) -SE-, -N-, -SP-, -CH-, -EX-, (J) LH First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 5 4 8 0 2.1% - Nerfed version of C-Kouma's 5A, does 100 less damage. Comes out on frame 5, your fastest normal. This will be your main tool to catch people jumping out of your frame traps. 5A~6A Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 600 384 80% (M) N, SP, -CH-, EX, (J) LH First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 8 4 16 -5 4.2% - Elbow poke. Short range, has a great hitbox for catching opponents at IAD height making it a strong albeit difficult to use on reaction anti air. The forward momentum on this button makes it great for tick throws, especially 5A>6A>214A, which can be a very potent tool especially when combined with 5A>6A>2A and 5A>6A>5C, allowing you to keep your opponent guessing. 5A~6A~6A Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 1000 768 60% (O) (N), SP, EX, (J) LH First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 11 4 16 -2 7.0% - Arm side-swipe. This knocks the opponent off their feet, so you can’t do much afterwards except 2C into his standard aerial finisher. This button also has great anti-air potential although most anti-air's with this are not intentional. It is also important to note that this is only -2 and special cancelable making canceling 6AA into 623A a very strong frametrap that will punish mash and catch jump outs. 5A, 22A, and 236A are all also strong options to represent after 6AA once your opponent is respecting 6AA>623A, all these options will lose to stand shield so be sure to mix in a 2C here and there once you have conditioned your opponent to be too afraid to challenge it.

5B

5B	Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 700 432 70% (O) N, SP, EX, (J) LH First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 10 8 12 -5 4.9% - Long range poke. Catches back techs and most backdashes. Eight active frames. Best used to preemptively catch approaches, setup ambiguous delay cancels during pressure and punish ground techs.

5C

5C

Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 1000 672 90% (O) N, SP, EX, (J) LH First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 7 4 19 -5 7.0% - Palm thrust. Comes out on frame 7. Moves you a little bit forward. Fast for a C normal. Great option to catch delayed mashing and will often trade in Kouma's favor, so keep this button in mind when looking to mash out or catch an antsy opponent after 236A (236A CH can combo into 5C).

Crouching Normals

2A

2A

Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 300 192 75% (O) SE-, -N-, -SP-, -EX-, (J) L First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 6 4 8 0 2.45% - Comes out on frame 6. Your main low poking tool for poorly timed gaps in blockstrings. 75% proration, but that may not be all too bad. Considering 5B and 2B have 70% prorate, you can do two or three of these, and end up doing more damage than if you started with 5B. Doing 2A > 5B isn’t as easy as other characters with Kouma, so practice them hitconfirms, or opt for 2A>5C if you're not confident in 2A>5B.

2B

2B

Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 800 432 70% (O) N, SP, EX, (J) LH First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 7 3 20 -8 5.6% - Nerfed F-Kouma 2B. Has an extra hurtbox, but the hitboxes are the same, so it's still good. Comes out on frame 7. On the ground, this induces little hitstun, so you have to be quick on pressing 5B/2C/whatever afterwards. If you hit your enemy in the air, chances are you got a CH, so just wait until they’re close to the ground and 2C into a finisher. Another thing to note about 2B is that it acts a solid tick throw meaty. 66>2B>214A is a potent tick throw that will catch many opponents off guard, but be careful going for it because if the opponent ex guards or you do not dash before the meaty 2B, the 214A will whiff. Once establishing this tick throw, 2B>Delay Cancel 5C is a very strong option to catch opponents attempting to jump or mash out of the potential 214A.

2C

2C

Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 800 432 65% (O) N, SP, EX, (J) L First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 10 3 14 1 6.65% - Comes out on frame 10, hits low. Don’t be stupid and try to punish something unsafe with this move since it’s very slow. Used for 2B anti-air CH confirms. Makes for a good stagger, too. Note that this is +1 on block. Meaning after recovery, H-Kouma's 5A will win or trade at worst. You can use 5A to go into 5A6A, into some command throw mind games.

Aerial Normals

j.A

j.A	Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 300 144 75% (O) -SP-, -EX- LHA First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 5 3 - - 6.65% - Frame 5 aerial chop. Probably used best when you’re rising up in a jump arc. Doesn’t really reach that far, although it is useful for a “I want to hit this guy RIGHT NOW” button.

j.B

j.B

Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 800 576 90% (O) SP, EX HA First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 6 3 - - 5.6% - Comes out frame 6, has a bit more reach than j.A. Also best used while rising in a jump, so if you get a CH, you get an easy confirm on the way down. The slight disjoint this button has makes it very useful as an air to air option especially when combined with his backwards airdash.

j.C

j.C	Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 900 576 90% (O) SP, EX HA First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 11 5 - - 6.3% - Your only jump-in normal, coming in at 11 frames. That being said, do be careful when pressing this button, because if you whiff this, you are in great danger of being hit. Also your only good meaty for oki after a 214A/B grab.

Command Normals

6C

6C

Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 700 480 50% (O) SP, EX, (J) LH First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 15 4 19 -5 5.6% - Your slowest normal coming out at frame 15. Never end your blockstrings in this; always cancel this into a safe special like 236A. Launches the opponent in the air, so this is your lead-in for an aerial finisher. You can also use this after a raw airthrow. The hitbox is perfect for an anti-air, but the startup and forward movement really screws you over for it to be used that way.

Universal Mechanics

Ground Throw

Ground Throw 6/4A+D	Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 1300 768 70% - U First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 3 1 20 - 0.0% - Pretty average for a grab, but it's still important. Ground techable, but you can catch all techs with dash 2C afterwards.

Air Throw

Air Throw j.6/4A+D	Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 1600 576 30% - U First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 2 1 12 - 0.0% - Standard ground slam air throw. Ground bounces the opponent when done raw, causes an untechable knockdown as a combo ender.

Shield Counter

Shield Counter Auto after a succesful Shield (Air OK)

Standing Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 500 (345) 300 (198) 40% SP, EX, (J) LHA First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 9 4 18 -4 3.5% - Same animation as 6C. Crouching Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 1500 (1117) 1000 (714) 50% SP, EX, (J) LA First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 9 4 18 -4 11.5% - Same hitboxes as 2C. Air Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 500 (303) 300 (174) 50% - HA First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 9 4 - - 3.5% - Same animation as j.B.

Shield Bunker

Shield Bunker 214D in neutral or blockstun

Neutral Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 500 192 50% - LHA First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 26 4 19 -5 0.0% Clash 1-10 (Clash) Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 500 192 50% - LHA First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 8 4 19 -5 0.0% Strike 1-7 A fairly standard shield bunker. Blockstun Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 0 0 100% - LHA First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 19 3 22 -7 -100.0% - H-Moon specific reversal bunker. Can be OS'd so don't get too predictable with this against good players.

Circuit Spark

Circuit Spark In Heat: Auto during hitstun A+B+C during blockstun

Ground Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 100 0 100% - U First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 11 10 20 - removes all Full 1-39 Air Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 100 0 100% - U First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 12 10 15 - removes all Strike 1-30 Universal burst mechanic. Unlike Crescent/Full Heat activation, the hitbox and frame data doesn't vary between characters. However, you can be thrown out of this move if you input it in the air.

Special Moves

Grounded Specials

236X

Triple Samadhi Prajna (EX: Unicorn - Skull City) 236A/B/C

A Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 550 384 100% -EX-, (J) LH First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 11 2 14 -1 2.45% Super Armor 2-9 An automatic version of F-Kouma's rekka series. H-Kouma’s rekkas don’t have followups, but they do have a hit of super armor. Forward advancing palm strike. Unless you cancel into an EX or go into airthrow, you’re not getting anything else out of this on hit, even off of his sweep. This is one of his safer specials at -1 on block, so you can use this to safely reset pressure and potentially redash in if the opponent doesn't expect it. Can be used as a tick throw setup. B Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 550*2 (1100) (756) 100% -EX-, (J) LH First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 11 3 (7) 2 17 -4 2.45%, 3.15% (5.6%) Super Armor 2-9 Double palm strike. Goes farther than the A version. The second palm does a hard knockdown. When you do land this, you can jump cancel the second hit, giving you plenty of time for oki. After a 2C, you can do 236B, 5A into an aerial finisher for a little bit extra damage. -4 on block, so be careful ending your blockstrings with this. EX Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 850, 650, 950 (2563) (1764) 100%, 80% (M, last hit) - LH First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 3+9 8 23 -12 -100.0% Full 1-10 Super palm strike, hits three times. Cannot be charged like F-Kouma's. Induces a wallbounce, allowing for an aerial combo afterwards. Has 10 frames of invincibility, so you can use it as a high risk reversal. Don’t rely on this too often to get people off of you, the hitbox only extends to his hand, and not as far as the flames. Lots of untechable frames, giving you plenty of time to followup if you’re midscreen. Mostly used as a way to spend meter to get more damage out of your combos and to avoid entering auto-heat early.

623X

Asamprajnata (EX: Unicorn - Indra's Net) 623A/B/C (623B~236X) A A B B EX EX

A Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 1000, 400*2 (1502) (912) 75% (O) -EX- LH First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 23 8 13 1 ~ 13 7.0% , 1.4%*2 (9.8%) - Standard DPs, with the exception of A version. You'll mostly stick to the A version due to it's blockstring potential, but don't discount the EX version. Slow football punt. 3 hits. Every once in a blue moon, you can do this on enemy wakeup since it’s actually +1 on block. Remember to poke with 5A and not 2A afterwards; it’s your fastest normal. You can space yourself so only the flame hits the opponent. It needs to be spaced accordingly, but it makes this move +11 (usually) or even +13. 5C is then used as a pressure reset. B Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 400*2, 800 (1400) (1008) 100% -CH- L, LH First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 6 6 (6) 3 35 -29 2.1%*2, 5.6% (9.8%) 4.2% (14.0%) High 1-5 ~236X Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 600 (1877) (1417) 80% (M) - LHA First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 14 2 - - 4.2% (14.0%) - Rocket punt. Generic DP, although it’s not nearly as reliable as other characters’ DPs. Does 3 hits. He is upper-body invulnerable for the first three frames, and the first hitbox comes out on the fourth frame, when he is fully invulnerable, and then he can be hit anywhere else in the animation. It’s pretty hard to punish at first, but of course the enemy will get wise and just 66 > block or something in order to bait you. This can also serve as an anti-air, albeit a slow one. Try not to rely on this too much, if at all. Just block and wait for a gap for you to shield or 5A. ~236X: Missile kick. This is groundtechable, twice. Once when you immediately touch the ground, and again when you land after the ground bounce. This makes punishing Kouma when he falls down very easy when he’s in the corner. At midscreen, not so much, but they can still get the upper hand on you real quick. If they tech forward after the ground bounce, though, you can do the traditional 2AC tech chase, and 2C will autocorrect (if you time it right). EX Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 800*2, 400*6 (3270) (2767) 100% - LH (2), LHA (4) First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 4+3 6 (2) 13 36 -24 -100.0% Full 1-11 Missile punt. This is a true reversal, invulnerable all the way until the hitbox for the flames comes out. Very unsafe when blocked/baited.

214X

Cremation (EX 1: Unicorn - Purifying Flame Ecstasy) (EX 2: Unicorn - Endowed With Destruction) 214A/B/C (214A/B~2/4/236C) A A B B ~2 ~2 ~4 ~4 ~236C ~236C EX EX

A ~2/4 Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 2000 2200/2700 1440 960/1440 100% 100%/25% (CH) U First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 4 1 27 - 0.0% - Kouma’s universal grab special. This is essential for any Kouma player to master, and utilizing this to make the opponent scared to block is crucial for his pressure. Kouma grabs the enemy and bows his head in pity of you being grabbed, before he explodes the enemy’s face off. Delicious. COMES OUT ON FRAME 4. Perfect for tick throws and the like. This leads into Kouma’s sandoori, which is also essential to his pressure. He has various options for sandoori, but he also has a followup to this where you can throw them into the corner, get more damage, and still get a hard knockdown. ~[2]: Well, really, you don’t need to hold the button, but the timing for simply pressing the button is kinda strict. Just hold the button. Anyways, this followup makes Kouma throw the opponent behind him into the ground, adding a little bit more damage. This destroys all your oki options, and you’ll have to resort to 5A when they wakeup. Absolutely useless unless it somehow kills. ~[4]: Kouma gets disgusted by your stupidity and throws you to the opposite wall. This does more damage than the [2] followup, and if you’re in the corner, you can pull off some swag and get a hard knockdown. Otherwise, if you’re midscreen, PLEASE just resort to not holding anything down, his sandoori is good enough for oki. B ~2/4 Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 2000 2200/2700 1440 960/1440 100% 100%/25% (CH) U First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 29 1 14 - 0.0% - Delayed grab. It’s good to stagger with this every now and then, but just be careful, this certainly is not fast at all; active on frame 29. Although, the hitbox is deceptive since on this version he moves forward a good amount before grabbing the enemy. All the followups mentioned above are still possible after this version of the grab. A/B~236C Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 3000 2119 100% - - First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln - - - - -100.0% - Untechable knockdown, and sends the opponent fullscreen. This does even more damage than the [4] followup. Use this when you know this will kill, cause you certainly don’t want to be at neutral/zoned out if it doesn’t. EX Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 3200 (2208) 100% - U First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 6+7 1 36 - -100.0% Full 1-12 Kouma decides it’s time to slam and jam, and dunks you into the ground. This does so much damage for an EX, it’s ridiculous. If you have 200% meter, you can do two 214Cs back to back, and your enemy will never be wiser. This also grabs limbs, which can make your enemy think twice before trying to poke out of your blockstrings. The enemy can still jump on reaction after the superflash, but, this has the same bogus hitbox that C-Moon has. Combine this with your invuln frames, and you get a very powerful offensive tool. This is how powerful Kouma can be, and how he can scare people so easily.

22X

Plated God 22A/B/C A A B B EX EX

A Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 1000 720 75% (O) N/A LH First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 10 4 32 -8 5.6% Reflect 9-13 Super Armor 6-22 You won’t be using these too much, but it’s good to mix this into Kouma’s blockstrings every now and then. Stomp. Creates a vertical wave of flame right in front of Kouma. Contains superarmor before the stomp, so if you suspect a DP, you can use this to blow through it. This also reflects certain projectiles such as Ciel’s knives. B Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard - - - - - First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln - - 58 - - Full 6-25 Super Armor 26-37 Fake stomp; Kouma dashes forward instead. This also contains superarmor until he recovers from the dash. Also something you won’t be using very often. However, in the corner, you can make use of it with a gimmick. When you get a hard knockdown, the dust that’s kicked up from his stomp actually obscures you and the enemy for a short moment, so they can’t really see where your attack is coming from. You can use this to your advantage, and go for a grab when they think you will poke with 5A/2A. Also, at point blank range, Kouma will switch sides with the enemy, so if the enemy is just outside the corner, you can kick dust in their face, switch sides, and do 236A/grab. EX Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 1000 576 100% - LHA First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 8+12 2 26 -6 -100.0% Full 1-8 Reflect 9-32 Super Armor 9-157 MANLY STOMP. Kouma exerts so much manliness, he blows up everything around him. Unfortunately, the hitbox isn’t as big as the explosion. However, it does have 8 frames of invuln from frame 1, and activates super armor for two seconds. You can use this after a hard knockdown or on wakeup, but either way, it’ll most likely work out in your favor, but that’s if you manage to get the upper hand on the enemy. This is also safe on block against most characters, so don’t be afraid to poke with 5A after this. Higher-tier players will know what to do about this super, though, so they might try to Shield you.

Aerial Specials

j.236X

Asamprajnata (Air) (EX: Unicorn - Indra's Net) j.236A/B/C (j.236A/B~236X) A/B A/B EX EX

A Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 800 576 100% -CH- LHA First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 10 3 - -9 (TK) 5.6% - C-Moon’s air punts, just as you remember them. Damn near useless. Essentially, you can make tech punishes with this, or set up an air game, but both of those options are situational. Football punt in the air. Gets rid of all your aerial momentum that you had before you did this move, and you’re left in a recovery animation until you reach the ground again (which, really, is where Kouma rightfully belongs). You can set up an air game with this, but it’s better to just end your aerial combos with airthrow, since your combos won’t leave you high off the ground anyways. Just use j.236B. B Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 500, 700 (1096) (793) 100% -CH- LHA First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 8 5 - -9 (TK) 3.5%, 4.2% (7.7%) - Another football punt. Does two hits this time, and gives you a small upwards boost while doing it. Retains all the properties that the A version has, including its followup. If you do decide to end your aerial combo with the punt, it’s better to use this version. ~236X Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 600 - 80% (M) - LHA First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 14 2 - - 4.2% - Missile kick. Pretty much the same thing as the followup to grounded 623. EX Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 300, 600, 350*5 (1883) (1498) 80% (O) - LHA First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 3+2 2 (2) 13 - 18 (vs Stand) 10 (vs Crouch) (TK) -100.0% Full 1-10 Aerial missile punt. This retains the same invulnerability that 623C has, so you can TK this on wakeup, and because Kouma doesn’t actually move that far up, you can followup with a normal afterwards and go into aerial stuff. That being said, if you choose to take unnecessary risks (aka using DP instead of 22C on wakeup) and waste your meter, TK this instead of the regular 623. A thing to keep in mind is that even Crescent and Full Moon characters can bunker out of it for a positive 50% meter trade. Not to mention how they can react and perform a reversal of any kind, or even a 2A+B like Sion or Kohaku. This move should be mainly used to predict abare or if the opponent lacks a meterless option to get out and has less meter than required to perform a shield bunker. It's still a solid option that doesnt carry much risk, but it's definetly not +18 frames on demand like it seems against players that lack this knowledge.

j.22X

Plated God (Air) j.22A/B/C (No EX) A A B B C C

A Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard - - - - - First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln - - 33 - - - C/F-Moon’s command airdashes. These are what gives Kouma his most mobility ANYWHERE on the screen, so please use these with care. Also, keep in mind that when you use this, you can’t airdash afterwards. Kouma pauses for a split-second, causing an explosion, as he readies himself to propel forward, and does so generously. Traverses about the same distance as an airdash. Not much use here, but you can use this to give that extra momentum you need to close the distance between you and your opponent. He’s still vulnerable when he falls down, though, so press J.B or air dodge (provided you’re close to the ground) to make yourself safer. B Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard - - - -J- - First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln - - 38 - - - Altered version of C/F-Moon’s J.22B. Instead of going forward even farther, he goes upward in a diagonal direction. I hope you realize how important this is to H-Kouma’s neutral game. This the best aerial movement option he has. The dash is actually not as long as it seems, and so can you do a normal or airthrow right after he dashes. This is what you’ll be using to help you end your aerial BnBs. C Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard - - - - - First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln - - 10 - - - Kouma wants to go forward, but he quickly says “lol nope” and drops back down to the ground. That is to say, he does the explosion, but fakes the dash. There’s some funny stuff you can do with this to confuse your enemy. For example, after a 214 grab, you can dash up to them, TK this, and grab them again if you time it right. Also serves as a momentum stopper if you see something you don't like on the enemy's side of offense.

Arc Drive

Unicorn - Jambu in Flames 41236C during Heat

(Grab) (Hit) Damage Red Damage Proration Cancel Guard 900*10, 1200 (4017) 2500 (2412) (2016) 50% 80% - U LHA First Active Active Recovery Frame Adv Circuit Invuln 5+1 1 (3) 8 43 -21 removes all Full 1-10 Kouma grabs the enemy and burns them through a fiery pillar. Does 4.2k damage. In order to do this, you must be at point blank range. If not, he just smacks them with his palm, which causes a wallbounce. The hitbox doesn’t extend to the tip, only to the rim of the blast circle. You can’t really follow up after the wallbounce, so if you’re midscreen, you just screwed up, cause now you’re gonna waste even more effort to get on the offensive again. The good thing about the grab is that, unlike 214C, you can’t jump out after the superflash. If they get caught, prepare your oki in advance. This is completely invincible from frame 1, so if you have a little bit of Heat left and don’t know what to do (spend it on 22C) or you just don’t care anymore, go ahead and stick this out there if they like being in your face all the time.