Giant Gram 2000/Hiroshi Hase

Introduction

Overview

HASEHASEHASEEEEEE~!

From the cerulean mat of New Japan to his brief stint in All Japan before entering the battlefield of Japanese politics, Hiroshi Hase has spent a career as a proficient technical worker and he brings that proficiency to Giant Gram as one of the game's masters of submissions. From the STF, Scorpion Deathlock, Sleeper, Cobra Clutch and Octopus Hold, Hase has a wide variety of ways to mangle your opponent's legs and head. Winning via submission isn't Hase's only gameplan - he can also rely on a variety of pinning throws in the late game - but using submission work to wear down the opponent's HP and the match timer is really his bread and butter. Hase pairs this with some of the more intricate and long chains in the game, making him a technical and higher learning curve character that is very satisfying to win with but lacks consistency.

Strengths

Weaknesses

Submission Diversity: Has some of the widest variety of submission holds in the game, and many of those submissions (such as the STF and Octopus Hold) damage multiple body parts at once, making it easier to complete the tall task of submitting your opponent. And because of all of those submissions, Hase is a.... Timer Scam Artist: Hase is a nightmare to deal with in a late match when he has a life lead. Because many of his submissions involve multiple chaining parts or long setup (his Indian Deathlock into Muta Lock set up out of rear Enzugiri for instance), Hase can keep control of a match where he is advantaged and run the match timer out very effectively. His Burning move, Super Giant Swing, as well as the normal version also aid in this task since they can be extended by rapidly spinning the stick, causing the opponent to lose a ton of time on the match timer. Uranage Power: One of the most powerful throw chains in the game, Hase's 64T can be linked together 4 times in succession. If completed, Hase gains nearly FULL Burning and dishes out a ton of damage. Sort of the Giant Gram equivalent of King's Rolling Death Cradle in Tekken - you better know the reversal timing of this one or you're in a world of hurt. Pins Out Of Hold: Hase has a handful of pinning moves with different reversal timings out of his front and back holds, making him a threat from multiple angles late in a match when the opponent is low on HP and out of Burning. Good Unique Counters: Hase's unique kick counter Dragon Screw plays right into his leg limb damage gameplan, and can also deal solid damage to lariat enthusiasts like Kobashi and Hansen with his Uranage parry.

Reliant on Submissions: Hase's greatest gift is also his curse - submissions are an unstable strategy in Giant Gram and difficult to pull off in a real match compared to simply pinning your opponent or running out the timer. Hase can use his submission prowess for late game timer scam, but otherwise his strengths aren't the strengths that are prioritized by how the average match of GG2000 actually goes down. Gimmicky: Unlike the real life wrestler, Hase's fundamentals aren't super strong. He doesn't have good backturn combo damage, he doesn't have good damage on his fast buttons, and he frequently relies on opponents missing reversal timings and not knowing how to deal with some of his chain timings in order to maximize his damage output. He's a knowledge check character through and through - once you lab the matchup, Hase has to work a lot harder to win than many other characters in the cast.

Move List

Attacks

5A

5A
Chop

	Damage	Startup	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Special Property	Meter Build
-	-	22	+11	-10	-	-
A nice, basic chop. Good plus frames on hit, safe on block to everything. Due to pushout, not even 2H/8H will punish if you do 5A->Walk back.

5AA - Double Chop

5AA
Double Chop

	Damage	Startup	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Special Property	Meter Build
-	-	-	-	-	-	-

5AAA - Double Chop to European Uppercut

5AAA
Double Chop to European Uppercut

	Damage	Startup	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Special Property	Meter Build
-	-	-	-	-	-	-

6A

6A
Big Boot

	Damage	Startup	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Special Property	Meter Build
-	-	25	X	-13	Back Turned Combo Starter, Unparryable	-
Generic backturn combo starter. Hase doesn't get great damage of his backturns, but this is how you get to them.

4A

4A
Slap

	Damage	Startup	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Special Property	Meter Build
-	-	19	-11	-19	-	-
Generic fast attack, used for mashing.

8A

8A
European Uppercut

	Damage	Startup	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Special Property	Meter Build
-	-	50	+13	-11	Stagger Stun, Unparryable, unholdable	-

66A

66A
Dropkick

	Damage	Startup	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Special Property	Meter Build
-	-	25	X	-68 (back turned)	Unparryable, unholdable, jumps	-
Basically, this is Giant Gram's DP equivalent. Unique recovery state has a small hitbox, meaning the opponent has to either properly time a punish or do specific moves that can hit Hase while he's on the ground/getting up. In addition to being a good panic button, it's a hard call out during your offense--if you know your opponent likes to 2/8H to punish your more unsafe attack strings, you can do this to blow it up.

62A

62A
Basement Dropkick

	Damage	Startup	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Special Property	Meter Build
-	-	-	-	-	Unparryable, unholdable, jumps	-
Dropkick to the knee, knocks the opponent down on hit. Beats parries and holds, loses to blocking. Not bad to set up ground submissions.

Throws

Front Throws

5T

5T
Body Slam

Damage	Startup	Hit Adv	Special Property	Meter Build	Reversal Window
-	1	-	-	-	2-9 (H break only, lockout on wrong buttons) (vs. High Max mode, can also be broken by directions) (Vs. Max Mode, attack/throw buttons break)
Generic bodyslam. Small break window that works great early game and starts getting broken by everything as the match progresses.

5(T)

5(T)
Charged Body Slam

Damage	Startup	Hit Adv	Special Property	Meter Build	Reversal Window
-	1	-	-	-	2-9 (H break only, lockout on wrong buttons) (vs. High Max mode, can also be broken by directions) (Vs. Max Mode, attack/throw buttons break)
Akira can charge his body slam, improving its damage with no extra cost to himself. If a direction is held while charging, Akira will walk forward up to three steps and, if he gets to the ropes before the charge ends, will perform the "Guillotine Whip" throw.

5(T)+Direction towards ropes

5(T)+Direction towards ropes
Guillotine Whip

Damage	Startup	Hit Adv	Special Property	Meter Build	Reversal Window
, + 10% Neck Parts Damage	1	-	-	-	1st break: 2-9 (H break only, lockout on wrong buttons) (vs. High Max mode, can also be broken by directions) (Vs. Max Mode, attack/throw buttons break), 2nd break: 94-110 (H break only)
If a direction on the stick is held during Akira's walk towards the ropes he's walking in the direction of, he will drop the opponent onto the ropes neck first and deal some additional parts damage. Unlike the charged throw, this has an additional escape window, making it more of a liability than simply dropping them with a charged body slam. On the plus side, the second break has no Max Mode boost.

6T

6T
Vertical suplex

Damage	Startup	Hit Adv	Special Property	Meter Build	Reversal Window
-	1	-	-	-	-

2T

2T
Gutwrench suplex

Damage	Startup	Hit Adv	Special Property	Meter Build	Reversal Window
-	1	-	-	-	-

64T

64T
Uranage

Damage	Startup	Hit Adv	Special Property	Meter Build	Reversal Window
-	1	-	-	-	-
The main event of Hase's otherwise basic throw game. Can chain into itself up to 4 times by pressing 64T again with proper timing (right after Hase yells) or can be cashed out for additional damage with the Dangerous Uranage by pressing 2T with the same timing. You can also 2T on the 4th and final Uranage. 2T cashout does more damage and leaves the opponent face-up and closer for pins. Running through the whole chain without getting reversed gives you nearly full BURNING meter, allowing you to pick up quick wins via Super Giant Swing if you happen to catch one early. In short - when feasible, try to be using Uranage often, as this is Hase's main source of high damage.

Rear Throw

Back 5T

Back 5T
Back Suplex

Damage	Startup	Hit Adv	Special Property	Meter Build	Reversal Window
-	1	-	-	-	-
Generic backturned 5T. Can sometimes get this off a backturn, but does less damage than standard 5AAA combo or most of your back holds, so no real need.

Context-Specific Throws

Back To Ropes 4A

Back To Ropes 4A
Kitchen Sink

Damage	Startup	Hit Adv	Special Property	Meter Build	Reversal Window
-	1	-	-	-	-
Done with an attack button, but acts like a Throw. Generic knee to gut when your back is against the ropes.

Corner 6T

Corner 6T
Superplex

Damage	Startup	Hit Adv	Special Property	Meter Build	Reversal Window
-	1	-	-	-	-
Done when opponent is in the corner. Generic Superplex, same as rest of cast.

Corner 64T

Corner 64T
Avalanche Uranage

Damage	Startup	Hit Adv	Special Property	Meter Build	Reversal Window
-	1	-	-	-	-
Done when opponent is in the corner. Higher damage Superplex with an earlier, narrower reversal window.

Holds

Front Holds

5H > 5A

5H > 5A
Headlock

Damage	Startup	Hit Adv	Special Property	Meter Build	Reversal Window
-	1	-	-	-	-

5H > 2A

5H > 2A
Octopus Hold

Damage	Startup	Hit Adv	Special Property	Meter Build	Reversal Window
-	1	-	-	-	-
One of Hase's more gnarly submissions, does limb damage to neck, arm, and leg all at once, and lays in some fairly significant damage.

5H > 8A

5H > 8A
Abdominal Stretch

Damage	Startup	Hit Adv	Special Property	Meter Build	Reversal Window
-	1	-	-	-	-
Basically a worse version of Octopus Hold, have yet to find a real utility for this move other than a slight timing difference from a similar animation as Octopus Hold.

5H > 6T

5H > 6T
Hammer Throw

Damage	Startup	Hit Adv	Special Property	Meter Build	Reversal Window
-	1	-	-	-	-
Generic hammer throw/irish whip move. Leads into Hammer Throw moves, listed later.

5H > 4T

5H > 4T
DDT

Damage	Startup	Hit Adv	Special Property	Meter Build	Reversal Window
-	1	-	-	-	-

5H > 2T

5H > 2T
Powerbomb

Damage	Startup	Hit Adv	Special Property	Meter Build	Reversal Window
-	1	-	-	-	-
One of Hase's pinning moves out of Front Hold, you can pin straight through the animation by holding down the button. Much like all powerbombs, does good damage but has a wide middle reversal window, so is best used only as a timing mixup when your opponent is used to other holds like Northern Lights Suplex. Puts the opponent in perfect position for Hase's Figure Four/Prison Hold/Half Crab to STF mixup as well, so useful as an early match setup move or timer scam setup too if you can get away with it.

5H > 8T

5H > 8T
Northern Lights Suplex

Damage	Startup	Hit Adv	Special Property	Meter Build	Reversal Window
-	1	-	-	-	-
Hase's other, more effective pin move out of Front Hold. Faster and earlier reversal window than Powerbomb, so the two can be used in late game to change up timing on pin attempts. This is the one you want to be using most of the time in the late game.

Side Holds

5H > Side > 5T

5H > Side > 5T
Flying Mare

Damage	Startup	Hit Adv	Special Property	Meter Build	Reversal Window
-	1	-	-	-	-
Can be extended with 2A into a chinlock for some additional damage.

5H > Side > 4T or 6T

5H > Side > 4T or 6T
Arm Breaker

Damage	Startup	Hit Adv	Special Property	Meter Build	Reversal Window
-	1	-	-	-	-
Does approx. 10% limb damage to either left or right arm, depending on direction chosen. Hase's submissions outside of the Octopus Hold tend to target the legs and head/neck, so doesn't really flow into your gameplan as well as you'd like unless you SPECIFICALLY are aiming to win with Octopus Hold.

5H > Side > 2T

5H > Side > 2T
Knee Crusher

Damage	Startup	Hit Adv	Special Property	Meter Build	Reversal Window
-	1	-	-	-	-
Does approx. 10% limb damage to legs. Puts the opponent in perfect position for the Figure Four/Prison Hold/Half Crab to STF mixup, so a really useful move if it connects. Has an early and fairly lengthy reversal window, so can't be relied on TOO much, but when it hits it's great.

5H > Side > 5A

5H > Side > 5A
Elbow Stamp

Damage	Startup	Hit Adv	Special Property	Meter Build	Reversal Window
-	1	-	-	-	-
Occasionally does arm damage.

5H > Side > 4A or 6A

5H > Side > 4A or 6A
Arm Wringer

Damage	Startup	Hit Adv	Special Property	Meter Build	Reversal Window
-	1	-	-	-	-
Occasionally does arm damage to the arm targeted, left or right. Can be extended to a Crossface Chickenwing by chaining with 2A for additional submission damage.

5H > Side > 2A

5H > Side > 2A
Knee Kick

Damage	Startup	Hit Adv	Special Property	Meter Build	Reversal Window
-	1	-	-	-	-
Occasionally does knee damage. A good, basic move to mix up between Knee Crushers to be constantly targeting the leg in the matchups you want that.

Back Holds

5H > Back > 5T

5H > Back > 5T
Back Suplex

Damage	Startup	Hit Adv	Special Property	Meter Build	Reversal Window
-	1	-	-	-	-
Generic back suplex with generic reversal timing.

5H > Back > 4T

5H > Back > 4T
German Suplex

Damage	Startup	Hit Adv	Special Property	Meter Build	Reversal Window
-	1	-	-	-	-
Standard German suplex with two potential chains - 2T to do a release German for additional damage or hold T for a pin attempt. One of your two pinning moves from back hold, worth mixing up in the late game.

5H > Back > 2T

5H > Back > 2T
Dragon Suplex

Damage	Startup	Hit Adv	Special Property	Meter Build	Reversal Window
-	1	-	-	-	-
Your other pin option from back hold - generally more damaging than the German suplex but slightly earlier to reverse. Hold down the T button to initiate a pin.

5H > Back > 5A

5H > Back > 5A
Sleeper Hold

Damage	Startup	Hit Adv	Special Property	Meter Build	Reversal Window
-	1	-	-	-	-

5H > Back > 6A

5H > Back > 6A
Shove into Headbutt

Damage	Startup	Hit Adv	Special Property	Meter Build	Reversal Window
-	1	-	-	-	-

5H > Back > 8A

5H > Back > 8A
Enzugiri

Damage	Startup	Hit Adv	Special Property	Meter Build	Reversal Window
-	1	-	-	-	-
One of Hase's best and most important holds - a fairly narrow reversal window on an enzugiri that gives guaranteed neck damage, and THEN leads into one of Hase's best submission chains, the Reverse Indian Deathlock into Muta Lock chain. Tap A as Hase hits the ground to go into the Deathlock, then 8A as Hase bridges back to complete the Muta Lock. This is a crucial stall move for Hase in the late game - the animation is long, damage is solid, and it's another submission hold that targets multiple body parts. Hase's best rear hold in a list full of good options.

5H > Back > 2A

5H > Back > 2A
Cobra Clutch

Damage	Startup	Hit Adv	Special Property	Meter Build	Reversal Window
-	1	-	-	-	-
A solid submission with a tight reversal window - great for finishing off neck-damaged opponents and another solid mix-up tool in your back holds.

Burning

In-Ring Burning

A+T+H+M after Burning
Super Giant Swing

Damage	Startup	Hit Adv	Special Property	Meter Build	Reversal Window
-	1	-	-	-	-
One of the most unique Burnings in the game - spinning the stick and mashing adds rotations and damage to the Giant Swing, so it can do SPECTACULAR damage and eat a lot of time of the match clock with a perfect spin. Pinfall attempt is guaranteed afterwards with no dragging, opponent isn't close enough to the ropes despite how it looks.

Outside of Ring Burning

A+T+H+M after Burning
Triple Guardrail Whip

Damage	Startup	Hit Adv	Special Property	Meter Build	Reversal Window
-	1	-	-	-	-
Generic out of the ring Burning, same as most of the whole cast.

Unique Counters

Strike Counters

Swinging Arm Parry
Uranage

Damage	Startup	Hit Adv	Special Property	Meter Build	Reversal Window
-	-	-	-	-	-
Activated by parrying certain chop and lariat attacks, Hase rolls under the blow and hits his signature Uranage throw. Has a reversal window at the front, but good damage if it's landed, and can be chained into a second Uranage with 64T. A must-have huge benefit in certain match-ups.

Kick Parry
Dragon Screw

Damage	Startup	Hit Adv	Special Property	Meter Build	Reversal Window
-	-	-	-	-	-
Activated by parrying certain kicks, Hase twists his opponent's knee and drags them to the ground. Does leg damage, and sets the opponent in position for either a Scorpion Death Lock, Half Crab into STF, Prison Lock, or Figure Four to keep the limb pressure going.

Hold Counters

Front Neck Hold Counter
Northern Lights Suplex

Damage	Startup	Hit Adv	Special Property	Meter Build	Reversal Window
-	-	-	-	-	-
Activated by reversing a front headlock throw or hold, such as DDTs. Does okay damage, but most importantly goes straight into a pin attempt. Makes trying a late-match DDT (which is most character's generic 5H > 4T) against Hase a dangerous prospect, and is best avoided altogether when facing him.

Strategy

General Gameplan

Hase generally operates under two hearts...er, two general gameplans, which you vary between based on your opponent's familiarity with Hase's main gimmick - the Uranage chain (64T).

All-In Hase

If your opponent doesn't know how to reverse Uranage, this is your whole gameplan. Hit 'em with the full chain, get Burning, Super Giant Swing them, and pin 'em up. This is a full-on knowledge check, and if your opponent is familiar with it, it's likely not going to work very well. But when it works, it REALLY works.

The Long Game

This is more commonly what style of game you'll be playing - a long, full round timer affair where you'll be using Hase's submission prowess to get a life lead and then keep it that way by going for the longest possible animations to run down the clock. If your opponent has a leg weakness like Misawa or Kobashi or a neck weakness like Kakihara or Shiga, a submission victory is still unlikely but within the realm of possibility - you should target these body parts. Otherwise, you're looking to play defensively, using your parries and blocks to make your opponent unsafe, punish them with a move that sets up one of your submissions, and then apply it to get some damage in. As long as you play safe and stay ahead, you should have no issue milking the clock in the second half of the match.

If you get your opponent low enough, you might be able to close out the deal early with a Northern Lights Suplex/Powerbomb Pin from front hold or German Suplex Pin/Dragon Suplex from rear hold. If these opportunities come to you, absolutely take them, but don't force it - your primary objective should be to go front hold > side hold > back hold > enzugiri > Indian deathlock > Muta Lock as frequently as possible, with other submission paths as mix-ups, to stall for time and stay ahead. Patience, graphopper.