Street Fighter 3: 3rd Strike/Ibuki/2021/Introduction

Introduction

Ibuki is a kunoichi who would rather live her life as a high school student. She first appears in Street Fighter III: New Generation.

Touting some incredible walkspeed and frame data, Ibuki is a mixup powerhouse that can be frustrating to contend with. Her ability to get frame advantage is startling, and she is often unpunishable by much of the cast. Once she gets started on offense, it can be lights out for the opponent if they can't catch onto her patterns. Another notable aspect is her far reaching and very fast jump, which can be altered by using her Kunai to avoid anti-air attempts and begin her offense.

Super Arts

SA1: Kasumi Suzaku

Kasumi Suzaku automatically turns Ibuki to face the opponent. Strength of button determines angle/distance of knives thrown. Rapidly pressing punch increases number of knives thrown and raises Ibuki higher into the air. Throws 12 knives by default, and up to a maximum of 20. Each knife does 35 attack for a maximum of 335 (scaled damage). The "recovery" listed for each strength refers to the amount of recovery frames Ibuki has once she reaches the ground, it does not include the time it takes for her to reach the ground from the air. It is difficult for some characters to punish, but fast long-ranged supers can punish Ibuki as she lands if it is not properly spaced (or if it is mashed too much).

It offers a large benefit in it's 3 stock capacity, giving Ibuki more access to EX moves for confirms. Damage isn't particularly good and there's few options to actually confirm into the super, but it adds more threat to Ibuki's already strong air game and mixup potential.

SA2: Yoroi Doushi

Yoroi Doushi is an unblockable command grab super. Will not grab airborne opponents. Throw range: 46. While not as useful as the other supers, SA2's damage is still impressive. It can be comboed into with j.HP on some characters, as it will briefly backturn the opponent.

Yoroi Doushi also has an energy blast (fireball) version. This occurs when the grab version fails. It does 13 hits, each hit has 32 attack for a maximum of 280 (scaled damage). The fireball version can reset airborne juggled opponents.

SA3: Yami Shigure

Yami Shigure is a good damage super that is easy to combo into from a plethora of options. It has very fast startup, allowing Ibuki to punish things like blocked Shoto sweeps. Its small stock size keeps it from being used more often, as EX moves enable Ibuki's gameplan and strongest confirms. Still very useful in various matchups, so even players who generally favor SA1 may utilize it on occasion. Strength of button determines angle/distance of knives thrown. Block Advantage: -10 to -6.

Strengths

Weaknesses

Great Movement: Ibuki has a fast and far reaching jump, as well as the fastest walk speed in the game. Furthermore, she has additional ways to vary her movement, such as kunai before landing. This lets her avoid and punish throws or pokes, run varied offense, and get in easily. Plus Frames Dispenser: Ibuki boasts some of the better frame data in the game, easily getting frame advantage on block and very rarely being punishable. Strong Mixups: Ibuki gets a lot of opportunities for continuous looping mixups, allowing her to stay unpredictable and keep the pressure on. Access to options such as a side-switching dash and a significantly plus on block overhead make her pressure hard to deal with. Super Jump Cancels: Has the ability to super jump cancel several normals, allowing her to start mixups on hit and remain safe on block.

Fragile: Some of the lowest health in the game and slow stun recovery means that Ibuki does not take hits well. Stubby Normals: Ibuki's buttons, while fast, often have short range, and several important attacks whiff on some crouching opponents. Throw Range: Ibuki has the shortest throw range in the game, hurting her ability to run strike/throw mixups in some cases. EX Dependency: Ibuki relies heavily on her EX moves, and can struggle to get her gameplan started without them. Her more supers are often ignored in favor of her EX moves as an extension of this. Risk Taker: Ibuki often has to take risks to deal significant damage.