Advanced V.G. 2/Tamao

Introduction

Tamao learned to fight by trying to copy Yuka really hard until it somehow started working. She's not sure how that works either, but you don't see her complaining.

Yuka but with all the good things shaved off. Tamao sadly is the Dan Hibiki to Yuka's Ryu, while not specifically slotted as a joke character or even the worse character in the game she noticeably has issues compared to Yuka, let alone the rest of the cast. She still works as some of her buttons are respectable and LK Kusenkyaku is a very good tool, but with a lack of good chains and combos she will need to work harder to perform. That said, if you want a more traditional, but weakened, shoto that has some funky tools like a laser beam and command grab, Tamao can still be played.

Pros	Cons
Simple shoto styled gameplan LK Kusenkyaku is a great pressure tool that can whiff into throw mixups Lighting Crash is a great super that can easily chip kill the opponent	Middling normals and lack of good ground chains Significantly worse fireball and DP compared to Yuka Not particularly good damage

Movelist

st.

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	FrameAdv
9	Mid	5	-	-	-+2
A quick uppercut, a solid enough jab and chains into most of her other normals.

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st.

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	FrameAdv
13	Mid	5	-	-	-+2
A low shin kick, looks like a standing low but is still mid. With primarily the same frame data and range as stLP, stLK may seem like a better option but it has no chain routes.

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st.

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	FrameAdv
28	Mid	3	-	-	--3
A particularly good lunging punch, with 3f startup and being only -3 on block you will get a lot of mileage out of this poke. It can chain into both stHK and crHK but will not combo, being more of a frame trap. Be aware, however, that this will whiff on Tamao, Satomi, and Saki if they are crouching.

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st.

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	FrameAdv
32	Mid	10	-	-	--7
A beefy step-in high kick, great range and decent enough frame data. You will get more use from stHP but stHK does go a little further.

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cr.

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	FrameAdv
9	Mid	3	-	-	-+2
A snappy crouching jab. Can link into itself and stLP for a combo confirm.

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cr.

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	FrameAdv
14	Low	4	-	-	-0
A nearly MK11 Terminator-looking crouch kick. Can link into itself for...nothing.

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cr.

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	FrameAdv
28	Mid	6	-	-	--1
A stubbier poke than her standing ones, crHP is important because it can natively special cancel (unlike stHP which is only special cancelable out of chains). This becomes a important poking tool as not only can you crHP into specials for a combo, but a max range crHP into LK Kusenkyaku will whiff and set you up for a throw.

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cr.

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	FrameAdv
32	Low	5	-	-	--6
A quick shoto sweep, the frame data isn't bad on it but the range is atrocious. Causes knockdown.

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j.

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	FrameAdv
9	High	5	-	-	-
Standard jumping jab, angled downward.

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j.

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	FrameAdv
13	High	5	-	-	-
A flying knee similar to Kyo Kusanagi's, and much like his you can cross up with this. What is perhaps more important is that this will very easily look like it's going to cross up but stay on the same side. It is also able to hit standing opponents while rising.

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j.

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	FrameAdv
28	High	10	-	-	-
A two-handed club also similar to Kyo Kusanagi's but this does not operate the same as his. While you cannot cross up with this, it does have a great hitbox for aerial defensive plays and as a chain ender.

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j.

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	FrameAdv
32	High	6	-	-	-
A massive dropkick, Tamao's preferred jump in normal for damage and range.

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Command Moves

+

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	FrameAdv
32	Low	10	-	-	--2
A low scooping punch, causes knockdown by itself but is more useful as Tamao's OTG pickup button.

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+

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	FrameAdv
32	Mid	15	-	-	--9
A hopping hip attack, it makes a funny noise when you hit your opponent but you'll never hear it because the range on it is offensively bad, it has the lower range than ever her smallest of pokes.

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Running

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	FrameAdv
37	Mid	6	-	-	--39~0
Tamao does her best Sasquatch impression by leaping through the air head first to conk the opponent with her noggin. This attack actually has a secondary hitbox if she misses, as she will slide forward on her face (still a mid) after she lands, which is still part of the attack. This face slide is special cancelable so if your opponent isn't ready for it you can immediately cash out into a EX or Lightning Crash Bless her heart, she's trying her best.

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+

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	FrameAdv
28	Mid	14	-	-	--3
A backfist strike, causes knockdown on hit.

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Target Combos
st.LP > (st.LK) > (st.HP > st.HK)/(st.HK > st.HP)
st.HP > st.HK
cr.HP > cr.HK

j.LP/j.LK > j.HP/j.HK

Guard Cancels
LP: stHP
LK: stHK
HP: LP Kikoudan
HK: LP Soryugeki

Because LP Soryugeki lacks any invincibility, her best option is going to be LP Guard Cancel. StHP having 3f startup is her fastest response of the bunch, but do be aware that it can whiff on some crouchers so use LK GC if trying to Guard Cancel out of those character's low pressure.

Special Moves

Kikoudan

+

Version	Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	FrameAdv
	26	Mid	15	-	-	--6
Tamao's attempt at Yuka's fireball, tragically she cannot make it powerful enough to travel the entire distance of the screen. Thankfully this is not a Dan Hibiki-level fireball, so it does go far enough to actually be useful, it just wont zone from full screen.
	28	Mid		-17	-	--6
With the power of a extra couple frames of concentration, Tamao is able to make her fireball travel a bit further but still not full screen.
	28 (3x)	Mid	1	-	-	--4
Tamao spends her meter to deliver a single fireball that has maybe a pixel more range than her HP version. It deals decent enough damage but isn't particularly useful for the meter spent.

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Soryugeki

+

Version	Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	FrameAdv
	24	Mid	5	-	-	--42
A standard Shoryuken anti-air, but Tamao tragically did not learn from Yuka that these things need to have invincibility frames. The best she gets is that she crouches low before rising with a strike, allowing her to sometimes shrink enough to not get hit before being active.
	22, 18 (3x)	Mid	5	-	-	--43
Tamao's better DP, it has legitimately stupid amounts of horizontal range (more range than her LK Kusenkyaku), meaning that this is a great combo ender from ranges you would never expect a DP to hit from. The airborne animation has her pumpping out multiple punches, but this is purely visual, if using this as an anti-air it will still only hit airborne opponents once.
+	34, 18 (4x)	Mid	0	-	-	--53
It may not have any invincibility still, but at least that meter is being well spent on a 0f unblockable.

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Kusenkyaku

+

Version	Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	FrameAdv
	28	Mid	10	-	-	--4
Almost exactly like Dan Hibiki's replacement tatsu, the LK version of Kusenkyaku is a snappy leaping kick that is mostly safe on block (a 0f super will catch it) and knocks down on hit. One of Tamao's better tools in terms of both effectiveness and safety. Because this is so fast and recovers so quickly, she can whiff it in front of her opponent to set up a throw.
	25 (3x)	Mid	10	-	-	--16
While no longer anywhere near as safe as the LK version, HK Kusenkyaku is a three hit series of kicks that works best as a combo confirm tool. You will get punished if this is blocked.
	30 (4x)	Mid	9	-	-	--21
Her HK Kusenkyaku, but with one incredibly funny addition; the falling face slide from her Running HP. If this move hits normally the 3rd kick will knockdown and the face slide will whiff, but if the opponent isn't ready for the 4th hit (still a mid, so it's not a mixup) or if all the kicks whiff before the face slide hits (nearly impossible as you would have to do this at nearly full screen) the opponent is launched in the air for a combo. Absolutely hilarious, but it will almost never hit.

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Pokopoko Midare Uchi

+

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	FrameAdv
-	N/A		-	-	-
Tamao's command grab, she mounts the opponent's shoulders and starts raining down fists on their head. A very helpful addition to her kit, especially since her command grab has no whiff animation and she has no overlapping special that will come out if it misses.

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Super Moves

Lightning Crash

+

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	FrameAdv
18 (20x)	Mid		-	-	-+4
A 2 bar super that does stupid damage, usually 45% percent. Tamao's best use of meter, as she gets great damage, can combo into it, hits fullscreen, is plus if blocked, and does crazy amounts of chip damage. Chipping out a low life opponent with this is a super relevant strategy.

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Combos

Basic Combos

Misc. Combo