Capcom vs SNK 2/Yamazaki

Introduction

Overview

Strategy

Combos

Matchups

Story

Ryuji Yamazaki is a Japanese yakuza who also happens to be one of the Heavenly Kings of Orochi on the side. Yamazaki was orphaned at a young age, and had to wander the streets of his hometown. He was miserable, until one day, he saw a Yakuza boss named Sorimanchi. Yamazaki decided to dedicate the rest of his life to becoming like Sorimanchi, and quickly began participating in the Japanese criminal underworld. He rose the ranks quickly, and soon he became one of Sorimanchi's personal bodyguards. This was the happiest time in his life, as he felt Sorimanchi was a surrogate father figure for him.

However, on a business trip to Osaka, Yamazaki started to get a funny feeling. They were ambushed by a rival gang, and Sorimanchi was kidnapped. They would go on to brutally torture and kill the man Yamazaki saw as his idol. This snapped Yamazaki's fragile mind in two, causing him to become obsessed with violence. He immediately took revenge on Sorimanchi, murdering the boss who ordered his death, and fled to Hong Kong. From there, Yamazaki doesn't remember much. When the KOF series starts picking up, Geese sends Billy Kane to force Yamazaki into joining. Billy took a few goons with him for protection. Yamazaki refused to join, and a fight broke out. After Yamazaki brutally maimed one of the guards, the Orochi blood in him began pulsing, and he decided to join. At the end of the tournament, it is revealed that Yamazaki is actually one of the Hakkeshu, or Heavenly Kings of Orochi. However, Yamazaki's own tormented psyche keeps the power of Orochi at bay, and Yamazaki doesn't really want much to do with the Orochi clan in general.

Gameplay

Yamazaki is a neutral-oriented zoner style character. He has plenty of great tools to control neutral with, from his simple normals like 5HK to his 214P Serpent Slashes, which can be angled depending on strength to cover different parts of the screen. He has plenty of ways to poke, anti-air, and punish from far away. His aggressive potential is also quite high, with high damage combos using his 214K Spray Sand, which cancels into Serpent Slashes, or his 236236P Drill combo ending super. Yamazaki also builds a lot of meter because of the aforementioned Spray Sand cancels, and whiffing Spray Sand in general builds notable meter, making Yamazaki an amazing point on C/A-Groove teams. His mixup is surprisingly potent as well, with an overhead command normal and special, and a command grab.

Yamazaki lacks much in the way of knockdowns, and can also struggle hard on defense. He lacks any reversal for escaping pressure, and even with Roll Cancels, none of his specials exactly excel at this. Yamazaki has to keep opponents out and away to win, but he is much more than capable of doing that consistently, and punishing you with big damage as well.

Groove Selection

Best - A/C: A-Yamazaki is a beast of a point character. His meterbuild is stellar, you basically guarantee that your mid character with have a CC ready on entry. Yamazaki's own CC is fairly good as well, though somewhat difficult. He can play around saving the meter, keeping himself safe, and activating when he knows he has the punish for big damage, then building meter for another CC. C-Yamazaki is fairly similar, although he gets a few new tools. The cheaper Alpha Counters gives him a way to escape out of pressure, and again, his meterbuild makes it even more worth considering. He also gets more consistent damage using level 2 Guillotine and cancelling it into Spray Sand xx Serpent Slash or a level 1 Guillotine. Yamazaki has very good RCs.

Useful - S/N/P: S-Yamazaki is a great point character again. He doesn't have much reliance on meter, but thanks to his oppressive zoning, charging is actually fairly safe with him. When in Desperation he can end every combo in a level 1 Guillotine for a knockdown and a mixup, and that mixup can involve his super command grab Drill. N-Yamazaki is, again, a great point character for his meterbuilding potential. He gets to use guard cancels more often, and has guard cancel roll as well. Run and hop give him more mixup options and make his aggression scarier in general. Activating Max Mode gives him a small damage buff as well, which can be helpful. P-Yamazaki gets to parry into low damage but amazing meter gain, and that can be important for a P-Groove team where your mid can come in with a full bar. Even Yamazaki himself can parry into a level 3 Guillotine for solid damage once or twice a round.

Worst - K: K-Yamazaki has a lot less going for him. His amazing meterbuild is gone entirely, and while JD isn't useless, he doesn't get the greatest punishes from it. Yamazaki also prefers to be the one pressing buttons, not trying to interrupt the opponents buttons. When Raged, he does have higher damage, and his mixup is scarier overall. However, it just isn't worth it for such a defensive battery character.

Yamazaki is a neutral powerhouse, focusing on mindgames around his pokes and Serpent Slashes to keep the opponent at bay. When he gets in, he has decent mixup ability, and his meterbuild is some of the best in the game, making him amazing on point. Just be ready to struggle on defense. Yamazaki is best in A-Groove and C-Groove. Difficulty: Pretty Hard (A-Groove), Pretty Easy (Any other Groove) Tier: A+
Pros	Cons
Neutral: With beastly buttons like s.hk and various specials for zoning, Yamazaki can keep opponents out for entire rounds, his zoning becomes even stronger when you rollcancel, letting him poke and not worry about more dominate pokes Meter Gain: Spray Sand cancels into Serpent Slashes, which builds a huge chunk of meter. This lets Yamazaki be an amazing battery, and oftentimes guarantee your mid character to have a full bar on entry Damage: While Yamazaki doesn't consistently get knockdowns, he does do solid damage, and his Guillotine super is a stellar combo ender for a great knockdown and higher damage. His base Bread and Butter combo has great damage, stun, and push back while being safe on block and pushing opponent away. Synergy: Thanks to his great utility as a point, and useful nature in various Grooves, it's pretty easy to toss Yamazaki onto the front of your team and get the reward of having plenty of meter to spend later on Easy: Yamazaki's gameplan is simple, and he lacks any difficult execution to deal with, making him a great beginner character	Knockdowns: Without spending meter, Yamazaki has no knockdown special he can combo into, making what would likely be a solid mixup game much less powerful Defense: Yamazaki's only reversals are his level 2 and 3 supers (level 1 grab super is good, but jumpable), which are expensive and usually not worth the cost for a point character. He relies more on smart escapes and system mechanics to get out Offense: While he has some solid mixups, Yamazaki lacks a good way to enforce them without great mobility or guard crush strings that reset themselves like the top tiers have

Players to Watch

Name	Country	Groove	Accounts	Notes
MoMo	Japan	C-Groove	Twitter: @MoMo_oMoM	A great C-Groover who perfected C-Yama's neutral game and meter usage. Sample Match
D44 BAS	Japan	A-Groove	Twitter: @ryo151 Youtube: D44Bas Discord: Bas#4095	Widely considered the best CvS2 player in the world as of now. Single handedly inspired tons of Yamazaki players to pick him up from his dominant play style. Sample Match
GunterJPN	Japan	A-Groove	Twitter: @GunterJPN Youtube: GunterJPN	Before BAS popularized Yamazaki, Gunter was doing the same thing decades ago. You can find a lot of similarities in their play. Sample Match
P-Rugal	Japan	P-Groove	Twitter: @oyasuminecalli	The textbook example of using P-Yamazaki on point and efficiently building meter. Has an insane parry game. Sample Match
Tom23	Japan	K-Groove	N/A	Very old school player. Made K-Yama look like a rushdown beast instead of a space controlling defensive wall. Sample Match

!!!THIS PAGE IS STILL A WIP. IF YOU NEED FRAME DATA NOW, REFER TO THE CVS2 BIBLE OR LOOK THROUGH EDIT HISTORY TO FIND THE LAST EDIT CONTAINING FRAME DATA IF THERE WAS ONE!!!

Normal Moves

Far Normals

5LP

Far Jab
Far Light Punch
5LP / Far LP

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Far	300	3	SP/SU/RF	Mid	High	3	4	7	14	+6	+6	-
A basic jab. Nothing much else to it. Has a lot of plus frames and a quick startup for emergency anti-airs.

5MP

Far Strong
Far Medium Punch
5MP / Far MP

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Far	1000	10	SU	Mid	High	6	7	17	30	-2	-2	-
One of Yamazaki's anti-airs. If Serpent Slash is too slow and the jump is farther out this button will work nicely. Doesn't have much other use besides that.

5HP

Far Fierce
Far Heavy Punch
5HP / Far HP

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Far	1100	11	SP/SU	Mid	Mid	7	4	19	-	+1	+1	-
One of only two cancellable 5HPs in the game. Has very good reach. 5HP xx Serpent Slash is safe and works on guard bar very well. The move is very safe on block if not canceled as well, being +1.

5LK

Far Short
Far Light Kick
5LK / Far LK

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Far	500	5	SU	Mid	High	7	4	8	19	+3	+3	-
A decent counter poke and pressure tool. Has a large start-up, but is still somewhat quick nonetheless.

5MK

Far Forward
Far Medium Kick
5MK / Far MK

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Far	1000	10	None	Mid	Mid	8	9	13	30	0	0	-
Not really useful. Has no cancels and is not rewarding on hit at all.

5HK

Far Roundhouse
Far Heavy Kick
5HK / Far HK

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Far	1300	13	None	Mid	High	9	7	17	33	+2	+2	-
One of the best universal pokes in the game. This button is very dominant is most matches and plus on block/hit. Most matches this will be abused while mixing in Serpent slashes from a distance.

clLP

Close Jab
Close Light Punch
cl.LP

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Close	400	4	SP/SU/RF	Mid	High	2	4	8	14	+7	+7	-
Good anti-pressure tool since it has a 2F startup. Besides that it can't do much else.

clMP

Close Strong
cl.MP

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Close	900	9	SP/SU	Mid	High	5	3	23	31	-6	-6	-
Not a good button to throw out. It is -6 and though it has a cancel, it's not particularly rewarding compared to confirming from 2LP.

clHP

Close Fierce
Close Heavy Punch
cl.HP

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Close	1300	13	SP/SU	Mid	High	7	10	20	37	-4	4-	-
A big. damaging headbutt. Great to use in stun combos as it is the most damaging confirm into Serpent Slash.

clLK

Close Short
Close Light Kick
cl.LK

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Close	500	5	SP/SU	Mid	Low	4	4	6	14	+5	+5	-
Good up-close pressure tool, but nothing much else.

clHK

Close Roundhouse
Close Heavy Kick
cl.HK

1st Hit

2nd Hit

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Close	600+800	6+8	SU (1st Hit)	Mid	High	5	3+8	16	32	+2	+2	-
Good to use as a closer range anti-air, has very high priority.

2LP

Crouch Jab
Crouching Light Punch
2LP / cr.LP

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
+	300	3	SP/SU/RF	Mid	Low	3	4	7	14	+4	+4	-
A basic 2LP, has quick speed and is Yamazaki's go-to combo starter.

2MP

Crouch Strong
Crouching Medium Punch
2MP / cr.MP

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
+	1000	10	None	Low	Low	8	4	19	31	-3	-3	-
Useless button. Has no cancels and has very slow start-up for a measly 1000 damage.

2HP

Crouch Fierce
Crouching Heavy Punch
2HP / cr.HP

1st Hitbox

2nd Hitbox

3rd Hitbox

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
+	1200,900,700	12,9,7	SP/SU (1st Hit), SU (2nd Hit)	Mid	High	4	6	28	38	-12	-12	-
A very solid anti air that cover the space around his head, very difficult to get around this move. Most matches it will have no issues doing it job, while other matches (like Claw) can see it lose or trade at times. In those cases mix up with counter or RC Sand Spray xx Serpent Slash.

2LK

Crouch Short
Crouching Light Kick
2LK / cr.LK

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
+	400	4	SP/SU	Low	Low	3	4	7	14	+4	+4	-
Mostly used as either Yamazaki's cancel into Sand Spray or his custom combo starter. Besides that, 2LP is the better option when the space is closed in most times.

2MK

Crouch Forward
Crouching Medium Kick
2MK / cr.MK

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
+	800	8	SP/SU	Low	Low	4	6	11	21	+3	+3	-
A decent meterbuild tool and counter poke. Not the best reward from farther out but can confirm into the usual Sand Spray > Serpent Slash combo if close enough.

2HK

Crouch Roundhouse
Crouching Heavy Kick
2HK / cr.HK

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
+	1300	13	None	Low	Low	7	6	23	36	KND	-5	-
A very long ranged sweep. Decent damage and is safe when spaced. One of Yamazaki's better pokes, but spacing is needed to avoid some punishes.

j.LP

Jump Jab
Jumping Light Punch
j.LP

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
//+	600	6	-	High	High	6	23	-	29	-	-	-
Good for a meaty jump-in and air-to-air, but a relatively weak normal on it's own.

j.MP

Jump Strong
Jumping Medium Punch
j.MP

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
//+	900	9	-	High	High	4	12	-	16	-	-	-
Same as j.LP, but has less startup frames, more active frames and more damage. Generally used more than j.LP.

j.HP

Jump Fierce
Jumping Heavy Punch
j.HP

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
//+	1300	13	-	High	High	4	7	-	11	-	-	-
A decent air to air, but mostly used as Yamazaki's preferred juggle move during his custom combos.

j.LK

Jump Short
Jumping Light Kick
j.LK

Neutral Jump

Diagonal Jump

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
+	600	6	-	High	High	5	22	-	27	-	-	-
Works as an instant overhead, but j.HK does that job a lot better.
Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
/+	500	5	-	High	High	6	22	-	28	-	-	-
A good air to air and jump-in with high active frames and a decent hitbox, but has low priority so it can lose to better air to airs and anti airs.

j.MK

Jump Forward
Jumping Medium Kick
j.MK

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
//+	800	8	-	High	High	5	12	-	17	-	-	-
An infamous button. It has a ton of range and a ton of priority. Also has a lot of disjoint, making it one of the best air-to-airs in the game. Besides that, it's an okay jump-in, but this is definitely the button to use in air-to-air situations.

j.HK

Jump Roundhouse
Jumping Heavy Kick
j.HK

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
//+	1200	12	-	High	High	7	6	-	13	-	-	-
Has no horizontal range, but works as a very good instant overhead, especially on fatter characters. Besides being an instant overhead, it's weak in most other areas. Against Sagat, Raiden, Geese, Chang and Zangief, you can do an instant overhead CC, which is basically unblockable since almost every CC starts with a 3f low.

Command Normals

X

Overhead Jab
6MP

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
-	-	-	None	High	High	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Not really useful outside of A-Groove. Yamazaki can use this as a reset during a blockstring or on hit during a custom combo. Without CCs, this normal is rather situational.

Throws

X

Chokehold
Punch Throw
Near Opponent, 4/6HP

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Close /+	1900	-	-	-	-	3	1	13	17	-	-	-
Decent throw, generally used over kick throw due more advantage.

Whackdown Wallop

Whackdown Wallop
Kick Throw
Near Opponent, 4/6HK

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Close /+	2100	-	-	-	-	5	1	13	19	-	-	-
Standard throw, more screen carry so if you want to maintain a zoning gameplan this can be used.

Special Moves

Serpent Slash

Serpent Slash
214+P / QCB+P
+

Light Version

Medium Version

Heavy Version

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
LP +	1100	11	None	Mid	Mid	17	4	26	47	-6	-6	-
MP +	1100	11	None	Mid	Mid	17	4	26	47	-6	-6	-
HP +	1100	11	None	Low	Low	17	4	26	47	-6	-6	-
Also known as "Snake Arm" or "Slash" this move is the core of Yamazaki's gameplay. While their frame data is identical between versions, what makes each version stand out is the angle they hit at. LP has him whip his arm right above him, MP has him whip his arm straight out, and HP has him whip his arm below him. LP is not used a lot, it is entirely designed for anti airs, and since Yamazaki generally plays in the neutral and the opponent will play around at angles where the LP version does not hit, it is used the least of the three, however due to it's very high hitting angle, it is still a usable anti air. It also confirms into CC if that is ever needed. MP is the most versatile of the 3 since it hits straight out. While it whiffs on some crouchers, it acts as a great move to use in neutral to control screen space. It is also a very useful anti air as it reaches those angles that the LP version can't. It catches people trying to jump past your pokes pretty well and as an RC it's even more deadly since you can't counterpoke against it at all. HP is mostly used as a combo tool since it can hit all crouchers, it can still be used as a decent poke like the MP version, and can catch some people trying to walk back and forth as it hits low, but due to the angle it hits at, it is prone to getting jumped over, and since the recovery of Serpent Slash isn't generous, that leaves Yamazaki very vulnerable. Because of this, MP is used over HP in neutral, however due to its reliability in combos, it is more used over MP in that regard. You can hold punch during any version of Serpent Slash for up to 8 seconds, before Yamazaki is forced to either cancel or let it go. This isn't really that useful, however I guess you can play some mindgames with it, but if you use the wrong version you're screwed. Overall, this move really ties Yamazaki's screen control gameplay together, as while it is slow and risky and prone to rolling, it allows Yamazaki to check the opponent from near fullscreen distance, a thing very few in this game have the luxury of doing. Add the RC element to it and it becomes a very difficult move to deal with.

Serpent Slash Cancel

Serpent Slash Cancel
Any Kick during Serpent Slash

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Any Kick	-	-	-	-	-	32	-	-	32	-	-	-
During Serpent Slash's startup, pressing any kick during that hold will cause him to cancel it by entering a brief animation. This is also known as Stance Cancelling. Unlike KOF, this cancel is not nearly as character defining. You can't cancel moves into a Serpent Slash > Stance Cancel plink and have them be safer, as the animation for the stance cancel is pretty damn long. Even if you do this to trick the opponent into, say, jumping or some other very punishable action, you don't get that generous of a window, if at all. Don't use this too often, but if you have the opponent completely beat in neutral you can mess with them by using this.

Judgement Dagger

Judgement Dagger
623+P / DP+P
+

1st Hit

2nd Hit (HP Version)

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
LP +	1300	13	None	Mid	Mid	20	4	22	46	-2	-2	-
MP +	1400	14	None	Mid	Mid	25	4	22	51	-2	-2	-
HP +	500+1100	5+11	None	Mid	Mid	20	4 [24] 4	22	74	-2	-2	-
Alongside Serpent Slash, Judgement Dagger (aka "Knife Rush") is also a great tool for Yamazaki's combos. Heavy Knife Rush is also great to use in certain blockstrings due to its high guard damage. You will mostly see Knife Rush used as either a blockstring or a carry tool in CCs, as they are crucial in allowing both the height and the movement needed to allow Yamazaki to hit his cr.HP loops.

Metered Combo

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