Samurai Shodown/Shizumaru Hisame

Shizumaru Hisame 緋雨 閑丸, Hisame Shizumaru

Damage Taken: 105% Rage Factor: 0.26 Rage Duration: 9 seconds Jump: 50 frames (Very Slow) Forward Walk Speed: 0.3 (Average) Back Walk Speed: 0.23 (Average) Dash Speed: Average Back Dash: 27 frames (Cancelable from frame 11) Weapon Pickup / Drop: 40 / 61 frames

Introduction

Shizumaru is a well-rounded, technical fighter who can play offense and defense equally well. His range is slightly shorter than most of the other characters, but he makes it up with high damage, great mobility and strong defense. While Shizu can be played at any level and do well, he has arguably one of the highest skill ceilings out of any character in the game due to his instant overhead setup and Crazy Downpour special move, more commonly known as Kyourakuzan/KRZ or TAP, where he charges a very powerful attack by holding down any attack button. Managing inputs and switching button holds on the fly is a big part of Shizu’s execution requirement. The reward of landing KRZ however is massive, and it makes his damage potential some of the highest in the entire game, allowing him to win the game off of the smallest mistakes.

Playstyle

Shizumaru Hisame is a flexible character with powerful rushdown tools and strong control over the airspace.

Strengths

Weaknesses

Strong rushdown: Shizu has great options for aggressive rushdown engagements. His slide is very active and has a great hitbox while being semi-safe and his cancellable 66B is great for converting whiff punishes into his DP or WFT. His close-to-mid-range normals are quite strong in general and his B+C is great for high-profiling defensive lows. Finally, Shizu has great options for punishing throw escapes such as his TAP, 623S, cl.5C and 66C. Amazing air control: Shizu has some of the best jumping buttons in the game and it is very hard for most characters to contend with his j.C and j.B, but the icing on the cake is easily his j.8S "float" special. This move allows him to delay his jump arc an unlimited number of times and then cancel it into any of his jump normals. This makes his jumping offense very ambiguous as he can bait out pre-emptive anti-airs for big damage or condition opponents to block and then land and apply deep jump pressure. TAP: Shizu's Crazy Downpour (or "TAP" if you prefer to fight on the streets) is a fantastic and long-ranged invincible reversal that works as a threatening punish option against jumps, whiffed moves, backdashes and challenges against his recoil. At level 4 and 5 it does huge damage, cannot be bursted and can also be cancelled into from multiple normals. This forces costly early bursts out of fear of being killed outright by TAP and makes any defense against Shizu very risky. Great recoil game: Shizu's TAP and 623S speak for themselves as strong recoil reversals but his 236D and 236S are notable as far safer options. His fast and gigantic 5C is also great for leveraging his recoil game. High damage output: TAP, WFT, j.C and 623C among other options are great sources of damage for Shizu. Projectile SSM: Shizu's unique projectile SSM travels almost full-screen and is great for long-distance punishes and fireball callouts and can also work as a throw escape punish against non-forward jumps and backdashes.

Opportunity cost of TAP: TAP requires giving up at least one slash button in order to build charge. This means you lose out on utility from at least one of your normals as well as universal mechanics such as throw and deflect depending on what button you hold. TAP is also SSM punishable on block by most characters, meaning you can die without bursting if you make a mistake. It may be better in some situations to give up your TAP and fight without it. Relies on jumping: Because Shizu's best neutral options are generally his jumping normals, he loses a lot of threat against characters with very strong extended air-to-airs like Warden and GSL as well as characters with invincible DP anti-airs. DP is wonky: Shizu's 623S is unwieldy in that it has a slow startup period that moves him slightly forward. It must be used with careful spacing as an anti-air, lest you whiff under the opponent entirely and take a huge punish.

Gameplan

Neutral

Shizumaru ground game is decent, with 5A as fast poke to stop opponent dashing, 66D as safe approaching tool, and far 5C as whiff punish tool. His anti-air options are not very strong, it's better to use jump C for air to air or 66D to dodge under jump attacks. He has more advantages in the air, jump C has a great hitbox, and jump B hits cross-up exceptionally well, combines with his floating ability to bait out anti-air, and floating BC for surprise attack. His projectile game is awesome too, 236S has great recovery time and 236D reflects most projectiles, and his SSM is deadly against anyone trying to play fireball game. He has a wake up invincible move, but it's fairly slow so don't use it against meaty jump attacks.

Approaches

The below game styles of Shizumaru can be used in combination or independently depending on the match up for a fun and effective game experience. It's not all about TAP.

Aerial

The most basic game style of Shizu. Can be both offensive and defensive. His float gives him great control over the timing of his landing. A key movement is to forward or neutral jump and use a float to briefly stop above the opponent. The opponent might make attempts to catch Shizu's landing by using an anti-air option, going down in front to contest with j.C will beat out most attempts (even DPs with invul) or trade in Shizu's favor. His float can create a small delay and the invul of DP will run out allowing his jump normal to hit them. His j.B doesn't have a good downward hitbox to be a front offense, but the horizontal hitbox is just crazy. It hits as a cross up, when he lands behind an opponent from float, this will beat out any AA attempt that does not cover the back, denying most of the AA options. One good set up after j.B hits as a cross up (not deep) or blocked as a cross up, using float instant overhead diving attack, the range is close enough to catch a crouching opponent, it connects quite often as the opponent struggled to quickly correct the direction they block and often they block low. One other thing, because the game doesn't auto correct air attacks, this move makes a great air to air even when the opponent jumps to Shizu's back. It will also catch an back dash or back jump opponent due to it's amazing range.

A more defensive approach is forward jump from some distance float and use j.B, abusing its range can make many AA options can't even reach. Neutral and back jumping float then use j.B is the most defensive approach of Shizu. It will punish mistimed long pokes from afar, this happens quite often with float messing with his landing timing. The cross up hitbox of his j.B can catch opponents trying to run under to attack from behind. From some distance, the j.B will make a great poke to stop a dash. It is extremely difficult for the opponent trying to hit him out of the air from this distance.

This approach is effective against characters that need to get in for damage but not against zoning characters. If the opponent decides to use air normals to hit him out of float, it's time to change things up a little by starting to air to air them or change to a different game approach.

Ground

The ground approach can be more defensive. The basic idea is to use small but fast buttons to slowly bring down the opponent's health. His 5A is one of the fastest poke with a great range, the goal of the pokes are not for damage but to prompt opponents to jump or to throw big buttons.

Anti-Airs
Shizumaru's AA options might not be seemly as good compared to other characters, every option only works at a certain spacing.

• 5D is the fastest option for standard jumps from the front with no knock down. It has a fast start up, long active frame, and decent range. It is good for short jumps, neutral jumps that require a fast response. It works as a keep-out tool like a poke, ruling out unexpected jumps on reaction.
• 3D works similar to 5D with knock down, it allows Shizu to low profile the hitboxes of an attack and hit the hurtbox on the opponent.
• 66C has good vertical range (a bit higher than 5D) to catch opponents earlier in air. Its start up is slow, hard to be done on reaction, can be beat out by air normals. It will hit the opponent in the back when started to dash earlier under the opponent.
• 66D is a dashing version of 3D with no knock down, it will hit opponents in the back like 66C. It is good for catching opponents' jumps with momentum to continue pressure after neutral air reset. Like 5D, it almost will never lose as an anti air, hard to miss with autocorrect and the sliding animation.
• DP has unique arcs making it a good AA for mid range neutral jumps and jump-ins. The medium version doesn't move forward that much on startup and its air invul makes it a decent AA for standard jump-ins. Good anticipations and reactions are needed for it to go without problem.
• BD Float B+C is doing the float diving attack out of a backdash. Getting into a habit of instant float in neutral and react to jumps using the diving attack is a great AA for jump-ins from above or cross up attempts with optimum damage. It requires good read, usually going into backdash float on reaction to an opponent leaving the ground is too late for opponents with standard to shorter jumps.
• WFT makes a good AA against any kind of jump (Neutral, back, forward, cross-up attempt). It can be done on reaction fairly easily with practice.
• TAP is also a great AA on standard jump-ins. Level 1 to 4 is prone to trade, level 5 with full invul would not be beaten by any air attacks. When Shizu has it, theoretically it's death sentence to any jumps that can be reacted or predicted. When the opponent neutral jumps in corner, releasing level 3 or above TAP before they fall from their jump, from mid range or closer, the TAP dash animation would last long enough to catch the opponent's landing.

This approach requires good reads and reactions to be played well. When the opponent has more domination in the air, Shizu's floaty jump wouldn't be the best option in the match up. When all AA options are used to its fullest, Shizu can deny any jumps from mid range to behind him. It can also makes the opponent respect him and allows him to take things into the air again.

Guard Crush

This is the newest game approach full of fun. It's extremely offensive with big buttons. His 2C being a real low is great for dealing guard meter damage without worrying about deflect. The key is to decide what to recoil cancel. The most basic being a deflect if the opponent likes to hit normals on recoils. The most safe recoil option will be 236S. His 214A is also good with the faster start up. It will interrupt the start up of many moves in close range, even SSMs. If the opponent tries to punish afterwards it's hard as it recovers very fast (can set up for deflect). Use the B or C version 1 out of 5 times to mess up the punish timing of your opponents. Don't recoil anything is another option, or even go for a heavy DP but if blocked it would be bad. When the opponent wake-up, delay for a little and then hit them with 2C. Use some 5C's if you suspect them to jump or move on wake up.

2C, j.C, 66C, or 5C, use them interchangeably to bring down a guard meter in 4 hits, now either to make a GC attempt or use the reverse feeling of the opponent to deal more damage. If the opponent recklessly runs away when they are in GC state, use Shizu's air buttons to chase them down. Do not aim for GC until the opponent is losing more health trying to run from GC, if patient enough, the opponent might lose the round just by running from GC. There isn't a 100% safe GC setup, but he can use kicks (2D, 6D) and his projectile to mask his 5C. E.g. when the opponent wakes up, throw a meaty projectile to beat out potential deflect or to bait out a button, Shizu might block the opponent's normal unarmed or get hit by a light, these are opportunity for an unexpected 5C (since if hitting the button too fast, a u.5S will come out).

When you get a GC, time to land a TAP or SSM, see combo section. This approach is risky but can work on any opponents, and it's a lot of fun. It requires a lot of practice if attempt to keep TAP and good prediction to choose the right deflect options. It's more of an approach for fun than being practical, use it with the other approaches to enhance its efficiency.

Okizeme

Shizumaru has quite a few tools for wake up mix up, including 2C as a cancellable low / BC / 44 8S 2A combos / 44 8S BC, and tick throw with 2D, making him very strong against wake up, especially against forward roll.

Another good strategy is to use meaty jump attacks. An umbrella float can be used to set up a jump that will land in between two different wake up roll options. With correct spacing, this can be used to place a j.B that hits in the front on neutral rise and hits cross up on forward roll.

Charging KRZ (Crazy Downpour)

General

When playing as Shizumaru, you need to get into the habit of holding down 1 or 2 slash buttons (A, B or C) at all points during the match to charge KRZ. This move enables you to blow through most attacks and do a huge amount of damage. This gives you great comeback potential or a way to close out a round or match before the opponent can use their rage explosion. Because of the huge threat this move possesses, your opponent might hesitate to attack or even jump, giving you more opportunities to win.

To charge KRZ, you don't have to stick to a single button - you can switch around buttons and still keep the charge, as long as at least one slash button is held down at all times. There are two common strategies to charging KRZ: One Button Juggling and Two Button Hold. Experiment with both and see which you prefer. This decision can also be impacted by the type of controller that you use and the button layout that you use. Whichever decision you make, it's probably a good idea to practice common situations in training mode. These could be things like deflect then SSM, frequently used normal cancels, and recoil cancels.

One Button Juggling

One Button Juggling requires the player to hold one slash button at all times. Because of the nature of holding down a button, you won't have access to certain moves in the neutral game. Apart from the obvious normals and specials, these are:

• While holding A: No spot dodge and deflect.
• While holding B: No spot dodge, deflect, universal overhead and WFT.
• While holding C: No throw, universal overhead, WFT and SSM. Notable: No invincible 623C.

It helps to think of charging KRZ as a stance. Holding C is the defensive/neutral stance - you have access to quick normals to halt your opponent's approach, and you can deflect and spot dodge, but you lack the access to a quick whiff punish tool 5C and cannot use throw, as well as main combo part and reversal 623C, WFT and SSM. Holding A is the offensive stance - you can't do quick pokes or cannot deflect or spot dodge, but you can deal heavy damage with 5C and throw. Holding B has quite a few disadvantages, most notably you cannot use your main combo tool including near 5B / 66B / 2B and cross-up jump B.

A good habit to get into is to never press and let go of a button but instead always holding it down. Even if you do not intend to keep holding it down, it gives you the option to choose. So if you're holding A, and then pressed C to poke/punish with Heavy Slash, keep holding down both buttons until you made up your mind which button you want to free up.

Other good ways and spots to switch the button you're currently holding is during the recovery of any move (mostly specials such as DP after a punish) or by masking it with a 2D (eg hold A, whiff 2D, switch to holding C).

It's important to always have a plan as to why you're holding which button. For example, holding A or B keeps you from using deflect, so in situations where you're soon likely to be able to land one, you want to plan ahead and free it up in time.

Concrete example: You're holding A and attempt to hit the opponent with a 5C, but it was blocked. If you kept holding A here, you're not able to recoil cancel into deflect and are defenseless against attempts by the opponent to punish with a Slash of their own. Instead, you want to hold A, press 5C and keep holding C, and if it was blocked, you can attempt to deflect. In case you're deciding to deflect, always switch back to holding A after deflecting (ie doing 236[A]+B and holding A), because if the deflect was successful you want your C button to be free up for SSM.

Two Button Hold

Two Button Hold requires the player to hold down both A and C at all times. When you want to use a move that requires A or C, you release and press the button. This lets you charge KRZ and maintains access to all of Shizumaru's moveset except Rage Explosion and Lightning Blade. This works because KRZ is being charged when 1 or more slash buttons are held. And since you have no need to be press A and C together (except as noted previously), you will always be holding 1 or 2 buttons.

The downside of this approach is that this is an unusual way to play the game. You will likely require practice to adjust to playing this way. This can divert your focus from the gameplay to how you are physically doing inputs. Even when this approach is learned, it may slow down the speed at which you can react to things with A or C buttons. This can be an issue for A inputs where you will want do fast A inputs on reaction such as 5A, spot dodge, and deflect.

Lv4 vs Lv5

Lv1, Lv2 and Lv3 KRZ are fairly useless, so focus on the two important ones: Lv4 and Lv5. These are probably the only ones you want to use. Let's compare these two: Lv5 takes four times as long to charge compared to Lv4 (54 Samsho timer ticks vs 14 Samsho timer ticks) while only adding a fraction of the damage, so Lv4 has a way better damage to charge time ratio. Lv5 however is of course completely invincible, whereas Lv4's invincibility runs out before the start up frames.

This means that if you can land Lv4 KRZ as soon as you get it, you will do a lot more damage over the course of a match than landing a single Lv5 KRZ. This makes his throw very potent, as KRZ can combo from it. However, reliably landing Lv4 every time after exactly 14 timer ticks is unrealistic, and every second you "waste" after you get Lv4 makes you lose on DPS, which makes waiting for access to Lv5 KRZ more attractive. After all, which version you prefer to use is up to your playstyle. With that being said, closing out the first round (or second if you lost the first one and whiffed a KRZ already) by using a guaranteed Lv4 is probably always worth it, so don't hesitate to use it this way.

Managing levels

As said above, only Lv4 and Lv5 are worth using. There are two magic numbers that you need to memorize - 14 and 54. These are the amounts of round timer ticks needed to charge to Lv4 and Lv5. ALWAYS keep track of the round timer to determine which level you are currently on. The onscreen SamSho round timer does not show fractional round timer ticks and starts at exactly 60. So, when calculating charge time from the start of the round via the round timer, subtract the current time from 59 to account for fractional ticks. In the first round, assuming nothing stops the timer (like Rage Explosion), you have Lv4 as soon as the timer reaches 45 and Lv5 as soon as it reaches 5.

If either of you dies when the timer shows 24, that means 35 round timer ticks have passed, so you'll have Lv5 in the next round when the timer hits 40. Utilizing the timer to determine your current charge level is a very simple but powerful technique, and nothing feels more satisfying than to go through a fireball right as you hit that Lv5. Get into this habit as soon as possible.

KRZ and Rage Explosion

Activating Rage Explosion requires the player to press all 3 slash buttons. This makes it impossible to maintain a KRZ charge when activating Rage Explosion. Due to this, you will need to make a decision if using Rage Explosion is worth giving up your KRZ charge. It might be best to abandon your charge and Rage Explode, or it might be best to take your shot with KRZ, then Rage Explode after.

Lightning Blade also introduces input problems with KRZ. Charging KRZ means that you cannot press all 3 slashes at once to use Lightning Blade. And you can't release and press because the release will cause KRZ to activate. In addition, your charge level will be low because you just released your charge to Rage Explode. For this reason, it is rarely a good idea to charge KRZ during Rage Explosion.

Normal Moves

Far Slashes

5A

5A	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Guard Dmg Cancel Recoil Deflectable Unarmed 40 Mid 9 - - 23 -2 -5 5 No Yes Yes No Shizumaru thrusts forward with his umbrella. Fast poke button with great range that's very safe on block.

5B

5B	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Guard Dmg Cancel Recoil Deflectable Unarmed 100 Mid 11 - - 35 -4 -12 10 No Yes Yes No Shizumaru swats away at the opponent with his umbrella. Slightly slower but better reach and damage than far 5A, but more disadvantage on block.

5C

5C

Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Guard Dmg Cancel Recoil Deflectable Unarmed 270 Mid 19 - - 65 -7 -16 25 No Yes Disarm No Shizumaru unsheathes the sword on his back and does a big forward slash, similar to Haohmaru's heavy slash. Haohmaru's heavy slash, with slightly less range but much faster than Haoh's far 5C. Moves Shizu forward quite a bit, on hit and on block, making it a solid poke. One of Shizu's best whiff punish options on the ground.

2A

2A	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Guard Dmg Cancel Recoil Deflectable Unarmed 30 Mid 5 5 7 16 +1~+5 -5~-1 5 Yes Yes Yes No Shizumaru does a quick jab with the hilt of his umbrella. Fast and very active hilt jab. Combos into his A DP, allowing for a quick knockdown.

2B

2B	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Guard Dmg Cancel Recoil Deflectable Unarmed 20,60 Mid 9 - - 32 -2 -12 10 Yes,Yes Yes Yes No Shizumaru grips his umbrella and swings it upwards. A fast 2-hit umbrella attack which is cancellable on both hits, allowing for easy confirms. The first hit has long hit-stun and almost no push back, while the second hit has much less hitstun.

2C

2C

Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Guard Dmg Cancel Recoil Deflectable Unarmed 30,30,100 Low 18,19,20 - - 50 -3 -28 25 Yes,Yes,No Yes No No Shizumaru pokes at the opponent's legs with his umbrella 3-hit heavy slash with long active frames which hits low. The first two hits are special cancellable, allowing for easy low confirms. Does all 3 hits when done up close. From further away, only does 2 hits and needs to be special cancelled on the first hit. Only does one, non-cancellable hit at tip range.

Near Slashes

n.5A

n.5A	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Guard Dmg Cancel Recoil Deflectable Unarmed 30 Mid 4 - - 16 ±0 -5 5 No Yes Yes No Shizumaru does a quick jab with the hilt of his umbrella Fastest normal in the game with 4 frames of startup. Not special cancellable, like the far version.

n.5B

n.5B	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Guard Dmg Cancel Recoil Deflectable Unarmed 80 Mid 9 - - 32 -3 -12 10 Yes Yes Yes No Shizumaru does a horizontal forward slash with his sword. Same animation as his far 5B, but with his sword instead of his umbrella. His main combo tool.

n.5C

n.5C	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Guard Dmg Cancel Recoil Deflectable Unarmed 200 Mid 19 - - 49 -3 -28 25 No Yes Disarm No Shizu swings upwards with his sword. Standard close heavy slash with VERY big proximity window, activating at about a character's length away, making it a good situational anti-air.

Kicks

5D

5D	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Guard Dmg Cancel Recoil Deflectable Unarmed 50 Mid 6 - - 22 -4 -7 5 Yes No No Yes Shizumaru kicks forward. Very fast, special cancellable kick. Great anti-air, maybe the best one yet out of all his options, due to its hitbox around the foot beating most jump-ins. Safe on whiff or block, confirms into A DP on hit.

6D

6D	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Guard Dmg Cancel Recoil Deflectable Unarmed 30 Low 9 8 9 25 -4~+3 -7~±0 5 Yes No No Yes Shizumaru kicks at the opponent's ankles. Standard forward kick.

2D

2D	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Guard Dmg Cancel Recoil Deflectable Unarmed 20 Low 5 4 9 17 ±0~+3 -3~±0 5 No No No Yes Shizumaru does a low kick. Standard fast low kick.

3D

3D	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Guard Dmg Cancel Recoil Deflectable Unarmed 70 Low 8 4 19 30 KD(+102) -14~-11 5 Yes No No Yes Shizumaru donkey kicks the opponent. Fast, stationary low kick which knocks down the opponent on hit. Similar to Yoshitora's 3D, except it's special cancellable. Lowers Shizu's hitbox, allowing him to low profile certain normals and specials.

Dash Normals

66A

66A	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Guard Dmg Cancel Recoil Deflectable Unarmed 60 Mid 7 - - 22 ±0 -19 5 No Yes Yes No Shizumari does a running hilt attack. Standard 66A. Rarely used since his 66D fulfills the same function but better.

66B

66B	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Guard Dmg Cancel Recoil Deflectable Unarmed 80 Mid 10 - - 33 -3 -35 10 Yes Yes Disarm No Shizumaru does a running slash. Similar to n.5B in animation and function.

66C

66C	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Guard Dmg Cancel Recoil Deflectable Unarmed 140 Mid 12 3 - 50 KD(+97) -16 20 No Yes Disarm No Shizumaru does a running upwards slash. Standard 66C which knocks down the opponent.

66D

66D

Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Guard Dmg Cancel Recoil Deflectable Unarmed 70 Low 7 9 - 29 -6~+2 -13~-5 5 No No No Yes Shizumaru slides forward and kicks up at the opponent. Low sliding kick with very long active frames and good upwards hit-box. Safe on block when spaced correctly. Shares its low-profile properties with 3D. Can be used as a situational anti-air due to the aforementioned properties.

Air Normals

j.A

j.A	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Guard Dmg Cancel Recoil Deflectable Unarmed 30 High 5 - - - - - 5 No No No No Shizumaru does a quick forward air swing with his umbrella. Standard air slash. Can be used as an air-to-air in situations where j.B is too slow.

j.B

j.B	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Guard Dmg Cancel Recoil Deflectable Unarmed 100 High 13 - - - - - 10 No No No No Shizumaru does a forward air slash with his sword. Amazing aerial, can be used both as an air-to-air and as a jump-in. Can also cross up, which is especially useful because float gives you a lot of control over your jump-in angle.

j.C

j.C	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Guard Dmg Cancel Recoil Deflectable Unarmed 160 High 11(12) - - - - - 20 No No No No Shizumaru does a big downwards slam with his sword. Standard jumping heavy slash with very good downwards hit-box. Startup is 11 frames, but hits a frame later when hitting opponents below you.

j.D

j.D	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Guard Dmg Cancel Recoil Deflectable Unarmed 30 High 8 - - - - - 5 No No No Yes Shizumaru does an air kick. Standard air kick.

Unarmed Normals

u.5S

u.5S	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Guard Dmg Cancel Recoil Deflectable Unarmed 50 Mid 7 - - 27 ±0 -5 5 No No No Only Shizumaru does a fast chop. Standard unarmed attack.

u.2S

u.2S	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Guard Dmg Cancel Recoil Deflectable Unarmed 50 Mid 6 - - 24 +2 -3 5 No No No Only Shizumaru does a crouching chop. Standard crouching unarmed normal which is safe on block.

ju.S

ju.S	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Guard Dmg Cancel Recoil Deflectable Unarmed 50 High 5 - - - - - 5 - No No Only Shizumaru does a backfist swing. Standard unarmed air normal.

u.66S

u.66S	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Guard Dmg Cancel Recoil Deflectable Unarmed 50 Mid 10 - - 29 KD(+109) -4 5 No No No Only Shizumaru does a sliding crouch chop. Standard running unarmed normal. Can low-profile certain moves due to its lowered hitbox.

Universal Mechanics

Guard Break

Guard Break (Throw) 5C+D / 6C+D 5C+D / 6C+D 4C+D 4C+D	Version Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Guard Dmg Cancel Recoil Deflectable Unarmed Neutral / Forward 0 Throw 3 - 71 74 +20 - - - - - Yes Back 0 Throw 5 - 69 74 +25 - - - - - Yes Universal throw, can follow up with combos. Back throw has slower start up but better frame advantage. There is no throw tech, but throws are very punishable on whiff.

Surprise Attack

Surprise Attack (Overhead) 5B+C Armed Armed Unarmed Unarmed	Version Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Guard Dmg Cancel Recoil Deflectable Unarmed Armed 60 High 20 - - 46 +2 -14 10 No No No No Universal overhead. Unarmed 60 High 20 - - 44 KD(+78) -12 10 No No No Only Universal unarmed overhead. Knocks down the opponent.

Dodge

Dodge 5A+B	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Guard Dmg Cancel Recoil Deflectable Unarmed N/A - 1 16 22 38 - - - - - - Yes Universal dodge. Avoids all attacks for a brief moment, and is mainly used to avoid throws. Complete invincibility from frames 1 to 10. Strike invincibility from frames 11 to 16.

Stance Break

Stance Break A+B during Just Defense	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Guard Dmg Cancel Recoil Deflectable Unarmed 0 Mid 5 - - 52 KD -24 - - - - Yes Universal Stance Break.

Counter (Deflect) / Blade Catch

Counter (Deflect) / Blade Catch 236A+B Weapon Deflect Weapon Deflect Blade Catch Blade Catch

Version Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Guard Dmg Cancel Recoil Deflectable Unarmed Armed 0 N/A 2 11 34 46 +35~+59 - - - - - No Universal counter that works against mid-guard normal slashes. Upon successful counter, you can follow up with any attack except throws. The amount of time to follow up depends on timing and the strength of slash, and deflecting medium slashes staggering the opponent for longest amount of time. Additionally, if you deflect a heavy slash or running medium slash, the opponent will be disarmed. Unarmed 0 N/A 2 12 9 22 KD - - - - - Only Universal unarmed counter, works against the same slashes as counter. Upon successful blade catch, your will disarm your opponent and knock down the opponent to the corner, regardless of the strength of slash.

Rage Explosion

Rage Explosion 5A+B+C	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Guard Dmg Cancel Recoil Deflectable Unarmed 0 Unblockable 21 1 - 58 0 - - - - - No Universal Rage Explosion. See Mechanics for an in-depth explanation.

Lightning Blade

Lightning Blade (Issen) 5A+B+C during Rage Explosion	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Guard Dmg Cancel Recoil Deflectable Unarmed 300~709 Mid 9 - - - KD -44 - - - - No Dashes full screen and slash across the opponent in classic style. It has full invincibility and can anti-air. Damage scales based on remaining rage explosion gauge.

Command Moves

Wall Jump

Wall Jump (near wall)9 Wall Jump Wall Jump Reverse Attack Reverse Attack	Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Guard Dmg Cancel Recoil Deflectable Unarmed - - - - - - - - - - - - Yes Shizumaru can jump off walls. When facing the wall, input 7A/B/C/D to perform a reverse falling attack. Useful for j.B crossups.

Special Moves

Mist Blast

Mist Blast 236S Kirisamejin Kirisamejin

Version Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Guard Dmg Cancel Recoil Deflectable Unarmed A 50 Mid 21 - - 54 KD -20 5 - - - No Shizumaru throws his umbrella forward at the opponent. All versions knock down on hit. Shizumaru is considered unarmed during the umbrella toss and won't be able to use any weapon normals or specials until the umbrella returns. He will still get disarmed if hit by a WFT, however. A version has the shortest startup time and goes about a character's length forward. Very unsafe on block, therefore it's rarely used. B 50 Mid 26 - - 52 KD -13 5 - - - No B version goes a half screen distance forward, but has longer startup. Safer on block than the A version. C 50 Mid 31 - - 50 KD -6 5 - - - No C version has the slowest startup with the longest range at almost full screen range. Recovers very quickly, most of the time you can anti-air jump attempts on reaction after the umbrella returns. Can be used in setups where Shizumaru abuses the unarmed state during the travel and return time to use his u.66S or blade catch.

Cross Current Slicer

Cross Current Slicer 623S Baiu Ensatsujin Baiu Ensatsujin

Version Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Guard Dmg Cancel Recoil Deflectable Unarmed A 100 (10x4,60) Mid 8 - - 71 KD(+90) -35 22 - - - No Shizumaru does a rising crescent upwards slash, mimicking Haohmaru's Crescent Moon Slash. His DP series. Rather janky as an anti-air, due to the long startup. His main meterless combo ender. A version is the fastest, but has no invcibility. Comboable from his light normals, giving Shizu a quick knockdown from most light confirms. B 120 (10x5,70) Mid 12 - - 87 KD(+81) -47 22 - - - No B version starts up slower and has head invulnerability from frames 1-13. C 150 (10x6,90) Mid 16 - - 107 KD(+80) -61 22 - - - No Rage 216 (12x10,96) Mid 16 - - 107 KD(+80) -61 27 - - - No The C and Rage enhanced C versions both have full invincibility on frames 1-16. Has the slowest startup out of all of the DPs. His go-to reversal tool and combo ender.

Freezing Rain Repeller

Freezing Rain Repeller 236D Hisame Gaeshi Hisame Gaeshi

Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Guard Dmg Cancel Recoil Deflectable Unarmed 40 Mid 6 - - 46 KD(+83) -28 10 - - - No Shizumaru quickly opens his umbrella and faces it forward. Reflects projectiles. Has a hitbox which does a small amount of damage and knocks down on hit. Rather unsafe on block and recovers slowly. Can be combo'd into, but it's usually not worth it due to DP doing more damage while also giving a knockdown and having a better hitbox.

May Shower Slice

May Shower Slice 214S Samidaregiri Samidaregiri

Version Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Guard Dmg Cancel Recoil Deflectable Unarmed A 90 (10,80) Mid 12 - - 59 KD(+65) -18 4 - - - No Shizumaru quickly spins the umbrella and shreds the opponent with its edges. Stays active on whiff and if it connects at any point during the animation, it will transition into the full attack animation, regardless of when it hit. Does good chip damage on block, but is generally rather unsafe. Does not hit airborne opponents except on the final hit, meaning they can avoid meaty chip setups by jumping. A version has the fastest startup and is the safest on block. Can be confirmed into from light normals. B 130 (10,120) Mid 14 - - 91 KD(+61) -25 7 - - - No B version starts up slightly slower but does more damage while being less safe on block. C 160 (10,150) Mid 14 - - 135 KD(+68) -36 11 - - - No C version does the most damage, but has the slowest startup. His most damaging meterless combo ender outside of Rage C DP.

Rains of Time

Rains of Time j.2D Shigure Shigure

Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Guard Dmg Cancel Recoil Deflectable Unarmed 30 (20) High 2 - 6 (Landing) - (Jumps again) ±0 (+4) 5 - - - No Also referred to as "Pogo" Shizumaru points his umbrella down and lands on the umbrella tip, bouncing off of the opponent. If it hits the opponent, he will bounce up again. Holding left or right changes the jump trajectory. After a successful hit, Shizumaru can use his air normals while descending. The pogo jump does not count as a regular jump, therefore he cannot wall jump, float or pogo again after. Does not activate on blocking opponents, but is plus on block. Does not bounce on a perfect meaty hit, but requires perfect timing.

Dreadful Drizzle

Dreadful Drizzle 7/8/9 S while descending / during back dash Kosame Kosame

Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Guard Dmg Cancel Recoil Deflectable Unarmed N/A - 4 - 3(Cancel) - - - - - - - No Shizumaru opens up his umbrella, halting his air momentum, and slowly floats down to the ground. Can be steered left and right while floating, but it has a noticeable amount of delay. Cancellable by pressing down, down-forward, or down-back. Shizumaru keeps all air actions when cancelled. Shizu can reopen his umbrella again after a cancel if he doesn't use any air attacks. This can be repeated for as long as Shizumaru is airborne. Cancels itself if Shizu touches the wall while floating. Shizu can activate float from his backdash from frame 12, giving him access to unique instant overhead setups.

Lightning Rain

Lightning Rain B+C during Dreadful Drizzle Raiu Raiu

Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Guard Dmg Cancel Recoil Deflectable Unarmed 180~220 (10x4,180) High,Mid 4 - - - KD -24 5*n,6 - - - No Shizumaru quickly crashes down on the opponent while spinning his umbrella. A fast multi-hit attack only doable out of float. Knocks down on full hit. Should the attack only hit the opponent during Shizu's descent, it won't knock down. Shizumaru needs to hit the opponent with the final, grounded hit for a knockdown. Can cross up the opponent for a little bit of damage. Used in instant overhead setups from his backdash float.

Crazy Downpour

Crazy Downpour S (Hold and Release) Shin Amanagare Kyourakuzan Shin Amanagare Kyourakuzan

Version Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Guard Dmg Cancel Recoil Deflectable Unarmed LV1 (1.4 seconds) 100 Mid 20 - - - KD -38 0 - - - No Shizumaru tosses his umbrella into the air, unsheathes his sword and charges at the opponent, impaling them, then striking the opponent with a heavy-hitting slash. Shizumaru's famous KRZ/TAP move and the most important part of his kit to master. Holding any of the slash buttons will start the charge timer for KRZ. Charge time persists between rounds. Charge timer starts after the recovery frames of the normal used to start the timer. Charge time can be transferred to another button by doing an attack that isn't on the currenlty held button, holding it, then releasing the previously held button. Charge timer will be reset if Shizumaru gets hit by WFT or disarmed, with certain exceptions: Darli - timer won't reset if the first hit of WFT kills. Tam Tam - timer won't reset if the first hit of WFT kills. Jubei- timer won't reset on WFT chip kill and first hit kill. Sogetsu - timer won't reset if the 7th hit of WFT kills. Being able to switch between buttons on the fly, along with knowing when to opt for charging KRZ in neutral is key for playing the character at an advanced level, as charging this move restricts his access to certain system mechanics, depending on the button held. See Gameplan for a detailed description of Shizu's decision-making around KRZ. The KRZ mind-game makes Shizumaru one of the most threatening characters in neutral, due to the move being invulnerable and very fast at higher levels of charge, dealing devastating damage off of the tiniest mistake. Shizumaru will usually avoid using the lower charge levels of KRZ due to them being rather slow and not very damaging, while also being very punishable, due to all of the levels having the same amount of minus frames when blocked and being SSM punishable on block. Can be combo'd into for massive damage. Shizumaru will be disarmed on whiff and on block for a short duration until his umbrella returns. Shizumaru will yell out each level of KRZ except for LV5: "ichi-dan" - LV1 "ni-dan" - LV2 "san-dan" - LV3 "yon-dan" - LV4 "Ikuzo!" - LV5 Shizumaru runs forward, impales his opponent, then does a backflip before striking his opponent with a downwards slash. The level 1 version does the least amount of damage and has the shortest travel distance at around half screen length. Never used due to being very slow and heavily punishable on block. LV2  (3 seconds)  150 Mid 20 - - - KD -38 0 - - - No Shizumaru impales the opponent, does a short somersault jump and slams down his sword onto the opponent. Travels further than the Level 1 version and does a bit more damage, but still mostly avoided for the same reasons as LV1. LV3  (6 seconds)  230 Mid 20 - - - KD -38 0 - - - No Shizumaru rises further into the air before slamming down his sword. Does decent damage compared to the LV1 and 2 versions, but is still too slow compared to the higher level versions. LV4 (20 seconds) 350 Mid 20 - - - KD -38 0 - - - No Shizumaru rises even further into the air and slams down his sword. The most used version, due to its fast travel time and full invincibility on frames 1-16, while having a relatively small charge time compared to the LV5 version. Used as a reversal and can be used as a hard read for certain moves. Shizumaru will usually hold his KRZ until atleast LV4 for the invuln frames and damage potential. LV5 (80 seconds) 500 (60, 110x4) Mid 20 - - - KD -38 0 - - - No Shizumaru leaps to the top of the screen and slams down his sword onto the opponent, releasing shockwaves that shred the opponent. One of the hardest hitting, non-SSM moves in the entire game at a whooping 500 damage and also arguably the most satisfying move in the game to land. Requires big long-term commitment due to the very long charge time, but has the highest payoff. Has full invincibility for the entire travel duration.

Supers

Weapon Flipping Technique

Hurricane Shredder Slash 236B+C Hitouryuu Kinjite: Bouukyoufuuzan Hitouryuu Kinjite: Bouukyoufuuzan

Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Guard Dmg Cancel Recoil Deflectable Unarmed 420 (60,360) Mid 1+12~27 - - 78 KD -38 - - - - No Shizumaru spins his umbrella while moving forward, shredding his opponent on hit. Available only during Max Rage or Rage Explosion. Disarms on hit. Standard WFT. Deals a lot of chip on block. Has a hitbox behind Shizumaru, allowing for situational meaty setups.

Super Special Move

Demon Memory: Heaven's Tears 641236C+D Slayer - Raining Blood Slayer - Raining Blood

Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Guard Dmg Cancel Recoil Deflectable Unarmed 680 (100,580) Mid 10+20~38 - - 115 KD -63~-44 - - - - No Shizumaru hurls his umbrella at the opponent. He then gets briefly possessed by the spirit of Zankuro Minazuki and cuts his opponent in half in one, big slash. Available only once per match. Full invincibility from frame 1~10. Very good SSM due to it being a full-screen projectile that beats other projectiles and doing very high damage, even for SSM standards. Fast enough to combo after light deflect. Can punish slow projectiles on reaction.

Combos

List combos, use numpad notation.

• n.5B xx 623C / WFT
  Standard punish combo.

• 66B xx 623C / WFT
  Far range punish combo, always connects after 66B hits.

• 2B xx 623C / WFT
  Same as all his other mediums but short ranged.

• 2B (1 hit) xx KRZ
  KRZ combo with 9 frame start up, only connects around throw range.

• 2C xx KRZ
  KRZ combo, deals huge damage from low attack.

• 2C xx 623C / WFT
  Standard combo from low attack.

• 2C xx 214C
  A little bit more damage than 623C, it combos if the first hit of 2C hits.

• 5CD / 4CD...
  • 66B xx WFT
    Standard WFT combo.
  • 66B xx 623C
    Standard forward throw combo.
  • 5C
    The optimal basic follow up, can be difficult to combo from forward throw.
  • 2C xx KRZ
    KRZ combo, can be difficult to combo from forward throw, only the 2nd hit of 2C connects.
  • 66B xx KRZ
    Tap combo only for lvl 4 and 5, medium needs to deep hit, works best in corner. WARNING: Hanzo and Galford can teleport out of it! This combo is prone to be punished by burst due to the invul it has!

• jump B / C (Deep hit)...
  • n.5B xx 623C / WFT
    Standard combo.
  • 66B xx 623C / WFT
    Optimal combo.
  • 2C xx 623C / WFT / KRZ
    KRZ combo after jump in.
  • 2B xx 623C / WFT / KRZ
    KRZ is difficult to connect.
  • KRZ
    Only connects after jump C deep hit.
  • 5C / n.5C
    Universal combo after jump C deep hit.
  • Lighting Blade
    Issen combo.

• 44 8S BC
  Instant overhead which deals heavy damage (190), only work at point-blank range and punishable on block, also works as cross-up against wake up.

• 44 8S 2A...
  • 5A / 5B / 66D / 3D
    Instant overhead which is safe on block, 5B is extremely difficult to connect, 66D is very difficult to block. Since now 66D can't knock down, 3D works as an alternative but only on forward roll.
  • n.5B xx 623C / WFT
    Instant overhead with huge damage, but only works against forward roll.
  • 66B xx 623C / WFT
    Instant overhead with huge damage, but it's extremely difficult to connect (zero frame link), works within throw range. Worth a try because 66B is perfect for auto confirm.
  • Lightning Blade
    Instant overhead Issen, high risk and high reward.

• (2A / 5D / 6D) xx 623A / 623B / 214A
  Combos from light attacks, 5D is fast with decent range, and 6D hits low. 623B and 214A frame trap on block.

• Meaty jump 2D (n.5B / 2B) xx 623C / WFT
  Meaty combo with big damage, jump 2D is plus on block, but it's not safe jump, loses to fast anti-air attacks. Jump 2D combos if +48F while jumping.
  • 623C 2B
    Setup #1, works against forward roll or stationary wake up, it's the same for rage 623C.
  • 66C 2D 2B
    Setup #2, works against stationary wake up mid screen or corner.
  • 66D 236A
    Setup #3, works against stationary wake up in corner.

Guard Crush

• n.5C...
  After recovery...
  • 66B xx 623C / WFT
    Standard follow up.
  • 66B xx KRZ
    Tap combo only for lvl 4 and 5, medium needs to deep hit. WARNING: Hanzo and Galford can teleport out of it! This combo is prone to be punished by burst due to the invul it has!
  • 2C(2) xx KRZ
    For the above reason use this one instead if that sounds too risky, only 20 less damage.
  • SSM
    SSM follow up. (Be careful with opponent bursting to avoid it)

• 5C...
  After recovery...
  • 66B xx 623C / WFT
    Standard follow up.
  • 66B xx KRZ
    Tap combo only for lvl 4 and 5, medium needs to deep hit. WARNING: Hanzo and Galford can teleport out of it! This combo is prone to be punished by burst due to the invul it has!
  • 2C(2) xx KRZ
    For the above reason use this one instead if that sounds too risky, only 20 less damage.

• n.5C / 5C...
  Cancel recovery...
  • Lightning Blade
    Universal Issen combo.

Videos

• Shizumaru Tutorial, Tech, and Combos by LegendaryWolf Shirou (2019)
• Learning a bit more with Shizumaru (IOH and other float applications) by LegendaryWolf Shirou (2019)
• Didimokof vs Laggia At Hyper Drive 2020
• Mjima vs Score at Evo Japan 2020
• Robertt vs HellaPlus at WNF Online Edition

Colors

External Links

• Twitter hashtag: #SS_SZ