Iori Yagami (KoF '02 UM)

Introduction

The daughter of the owner of the Yagami group, one of the associates of the 765 Production President. Although she is quite polite and refined on stage and in public, when with the Producer and other girls she has a very sharp tongue and is quick to berate other people's intelligence (especially the Producer's).

As a result of having two older brothers, Iori has grown up with a deep complex of hating to lose, and thus rarely shows any weaknesses. Iori hates being overshadowed by her father and brother. She does, however, have a much softer side that she shows from time to time, making her personality that of a perfect tsundéré character. The stuffed rabbit that she carries around with her constantly is named "Usa-chan", which has been with her since she was little, especially because she is frequently left alone in the house.

Iori is shown to be close to Yayoi, she once invited her to sleep over at her house. Iori once said that Yayoi's house is as big as her (Iori)'s dog's house.

Move list

At a glance:

Normal Throws
Sakahagi	(throw) f./b. + C
Saka Sakahagi	(throw) f./b. + D
Command Moves
Ge Shiki Yumebiki	f. + A, A
Ge Shiki Goufu In "Shinigami"	f. + B
Ge Shiki Yuri Ori	(air) b. + B
Special Moves
100-Shiki Oniyaki	dp + P
108-Shiki Yami Barai	qcf + P
127-Shiki Aoi Hana	(up to 3 times) qcb + P
212-Shiki Koto Tsuki In	hcb + K
Scum Gale	(throw) hcb, f. + P
Desperation Moves
Kin 1211-Shiki Yaotome	qcf hcb + P
┗ Ura 316-Shiki Saika	(at the end of Yaotome) qcf x4 + PP
Ura 311-Oritsume Kushi	qcf x2 + K
Max Desperation Moves
Kin 1211-Shiki Yaotome	qcf hcb + PP
Max 2
Ura 1219-Shiki Honoo Hotogi	qcb hcf + PP
Image Songs	Personal Songs
"Here we go!!"	"Here we go!!"
"Futari no Kioku"	"Futari no Kioku"
"Rizora"	"Watashi wa Idol♥" (Shared with Haruka)
"DIAMOND"

Normal Moves

Close Standing Normals

• Close A

cl.A – Quick jab from the side. It's one way of establishing pressure from close up without much committal. If Iori meaties with this on the opponent's wake up, it can link into Close C.

• Close B

cl.B – Weird looking foot slide. Iori kicks by sliding his foot strangely. What's neat is that it chains from Crouch B and a double hit low chain helps break Alternate Guards, discouraging the opponent from trying it too often. Upon hit from point blank, Iori could link a Close C with a 2 frame window to do so. Iori can also combo into Scum Gale from Close as long as he's point blank as well.

• Close C

cl.C – Fast uppercut. A very fast uppercut that combos into many other attacks. It functions well as a normal throw option select since many opponents do not want to receive a Scum Gale into a devastating combo so they opt to jump, hop, or back dash out. Thanks to Iori's great Close C, the player could do something like an empty hop into normal throw to snag a character on the way out. It has great vertical range that is pretty hard to contest and is safe on block.

• Close D:

cl.D – Rising kick. Iori brings up his leg high and covers a similar range as his Close C. What makes this different form Close C is that it isn't cancelable and is a bit slower, but has a slightly larger activation range and could catch jumping opponents from minute ranges where Close C won't come out. It's pretty much a more limited Close C that comes out a bit further away from Iori than Close C.

Far Standing Normals

• Far A

Small jab. It doesn't have much vertical height and is mainly use for pressure situations such as running forward and tipping the opponent with the jab on block then frame trapping afterwards with a run up/walk up Crouch A into Aoi Hana. Doesn't have too much use otherwise but something inside Iori's tool set.

• Far B

Quick shin kick. Iori's furthest range light attack that is typically used from mid-close ranges after a small block string just to check and keep sure the opponent is still blocking. If Iori uses Close C from point blank, Far B generally should touch the opponent and keep he or she blocking. After a Far B on block, the player may choose to trap with something like Far D to catch anyone trying to get out, with a slow projectile just in case the opponent tries to counter poke (be careful of opponents trying to roll at this moment as well as with the Far D), a hop in, or even a run up/walk up Crouch A or Close C and confirm the hit into a combo or continue pressure. So overall this move is just a small tool to ensure momentum at little repercussion.

• Far C

Large swipe. Iori's second furthest normal attack. It's not as fast as nor as far reaching like Far D so it doesn't punish as many moves, but this move is cancelable and could combo into Yaotome or Aoi Hana for the knockdown. It also may be used as a frame trap of sorts from close up but it somewhat ends Iori's momentum and canceling into something like a projectile might be too risky due to Guard Cancel Rolls. Most new players use this attack after Scum Gale and combo into a knockdown attack because it's easier than running up and trying to land a Close C.

• Far D

Sakura's Far Roundhouse. It's a great kick that covers a decent amount of space, is hard to whiff punish, comes out moderately fast, and has many active frames. Better Iori players could punish rolls on reaction with a Close C or Crouch B, Crouch A into a combo; but if that's too difficult for the beginner, using Far D is a handy substitute that helps newer players adjust to punishing rolls on reaction thanks to the large amount of active frames. There are instances where there is the perfect timing and spacing when to roll to make Far D whiff and have the rolling player recover in time to whiff punish Far D, but it's largely advised against trying to do so most of the time. There are some particular characters with certain attacks that help shrink their hurt box during their hop that could curve around Iori's leg and hit him out. Also better players can react to Far D and treat it like a fireball during footsies, bait it out, full jump over it, and punish it during the recovery or force Iori to block. While this move is great, it's mainly use for control ground and hop space and so it should be treated like a short ranged fireball.

Standing Blowback

st.CD – Shoulder tackle. Moderately slow, this attack is similar to other st.CD attacks. The hit box for this attack actually ranges from Iori's feet up to near his head so he effectively becomes a wall of hit box. So in practice, this move is best used in pressure and frame traps. Usually after something like a Crouch A on block from near by or within st.CD's range is the optimal time to use this attack. Like other st.CD attacks, it's cancelable on contact or on whiff, so a common follow up after st.CD is using Iori's projectile to continue the pressure and trapping. Just be careful and don't always cancel into a projectile or the opponent can guard roll the obvious attack string and punish Iori with a big combo.

Crouching Normals

• Crouch(ing) A

cr.A – Small, crouching jab. It's a standard, crouching light punch that one could find in most fighting games. Low committal, doesn't hit low but is a pressure tool to a certain degree. Unlike others of its class, this attack can't be chained into nor out of. Overall it's still a decent pressure tool from up close that can even combo into Scum Gale if close enough. For a Crouch A, this attack has pretty good horizontal range for its speed so many players like force a block with Far A, then run up slightly into Crouch A for the trap and combo into knockdown. Many players also seem to trap with a Close B for a low after a Crouch A or frame trap with a Far B instead to keep up the pressure. Likewise, after either a Close B or Far B, another favorite option is to trap with a Crouch A afterwards.

• Crouch(ing) B

cr.B – Crouching kick. A tad slower than many other Crouch B attacks but otherwise functions like others. This is Iori's main low hitting attack for mix ups and for catching and tripping up bad jump-ins. This attack is usually followed up by Crouch A, and there isn't much of any unique extent to this attack.

• Crouch(ing) C

cr.C – A slow, upward scratch. This move looks like it should be an anti-air attack but it's too slow to function like one unlike other games such as KOF XIII or CVS2. So the main application for this attack is for frame traps although not use that often as one. The other noteworthy aspect of this attack is that it is one of the only attacks that induces enough hit stun to combo into Iori's Max Desperation Move other than Scum Gale.

• Crouch(ing) D

cr.D – A fast, but largely unsafe sweep. This sweep is fast and could actually catch some characters trying to hop out and such. The main issue is that the sweep is greatly punishable even to the point where the opponent could just block it from further ranges and get a free sweep or even a free full combo. This means that using Crouch D isn't worth the reward as the risk is too high. If anything, the most time this move is used is as an anti-air since the player should know when Crouch D is guaranteed as an anti-air. Otherwise just simply tossing out this move is the universal KOF sign of a scrub or someone that is choking and panicking.

Jumping Normals

• Jump(ing) A

j.A – Jumping punch. It's an infrequently used air-to-air attack that has some downwards hit box. Most players use this as an early jump-in as opposed to Jump C in the cast that the opponent is very mobile and there is a chance that the opponent could become airborne. So this move, although weaker as a jump-in and as an air-to-air compared to the other jumping normals, is used as a situational in between covering multiple situations without much specialization. More experienced players note that many lazy players like to use this jump in as a tick for a Scum Gale tick throw and some players still have the really obvious tendency of doing it. Be careful and don't throw Jump A out too early or it will be trip anti-aired like many other whiffed jump-ins.

• Jump(ing) B

j.B – Very horizontal, needle-like kick. Iori's main air-to-air that has very little vertical coverage. Due to the shape of this kick, it's a really straight forward air-to-air against most approaches. If done low enough to the ground, it can hit medium height crouching characters and link into the A version of 127-Shiki Aoi Hana. Otherwise, this move should be strictly used as an air-to-air as it could be easily punishable by trip anti-airs if Jump B is used inappropriately.

• Jump(ing) C

j.C – This is Iori's main jump-in since it has the best vertical, downward hit box amongst the other jumping attacks. Being Iori's best jump-in attack, to contrast the other attacks it also has a much smaller horizontal range. So this move should be more strictly used as a jump-in since it'll lose most of the time as an air-to-air. This move is wide enough to cross up in very particular spacings and adds to Iori's mix up game. One small trick some players like to do to puzzle cornered opponents after hard knockdown is to slightly walk backwards with Iori and then neutral hop at near the max range of Jump C. It's a good way of keeping pressure at a range and slower players might even get hit by the Jump C, which links into a max range Crouch A that combos into a hard knockdown.

• Jump(ing) D

j.D – This kick is somewhat similar to Jump B but has a better downward hit box to function as a jump-in but seems to have less active frames as Far B as well as less upward, horizontal coverage. In comparison to Jump C as jump-in, it still pales in comparison so this move should primarily be used as an air-to-air and used as a jump in from near the max range as jump-in from an angle that's difficult to anti-air. Many lazy players approach by hyper hopping forward and just tossing Jump D out without really paying attention if it was delayed enough to hit crouching characters. As a result, these lazy players are also trip anti-aired and punished badly. Otherwise if used properly, Jump D is a very versatile move that does chunkier damage than Jump B as an air-to-air at the cost of consistent spacial coverage.

• Jump(ing) Blowback

j.CD – Iori jumps at you with all of his Chuunibyou might. This weird slashing attack works mostly as an air-to-air but due to the combination of the speed, range, and change in hurt box this move functions as an air-to-ground attack that has the tendency of beating out certain anti-air attacks if timed right. For example a semi-early j.CD may beat out Kyo's Aragami in which most situations Iori would lose no matter what he presses in the air. Other than that, this move is good because of the amount of block stun it induces as a CD attack and is used for keeping up the pressure and momentum for Iori.

Normal Throws

• Juuji Shime - (throw) f./b. + C

A standard throw in which the opponent could tech roll upon touch down. Mainly used during a normal throw option select, meaning after an empty hop and the opponent wants to jump out after a "suspected" Scum Gale and is tagged by the whiffed throw's Close C attack. If the opponent didn't happen to jump out, then Iori simply throws the opponent; and once the opponent just only thinks of teching normal throws, Iori can punish tech attempts using his command throw.

• Okuri Kyaku Harai - (throw) f./b. + D

Like the previous throw, it's a standard throw in which the opponent could tech roll. This means none of Iori's normal throws cause any hard knockdown or weird state effects upon wake up. Another throw to be used during a normal throw option select.

Command Normals

• Ge Shiki Yumebiki – f. + A, A

A series of command normals mainly used for combo filler. The first hit of Yumebiki, unlike of other versions of this move, doesn't cancel into special moves outside of Max mode. It's only super cancelable, so it's mainly used in Yaotome combos. The second hit, though, does function as it usually does and does combo into special moves and Desperation Moves. The second part of Yumebiki only combos from up close so either has to use a single light normal and go directly into the Yumebiki series or just use it raw from up close (although there are better alternatives to the latter.) Most players just do Close B and combo into both this of Yume Biki then go into Aoi Hana.

• Ge Shiki Goufu In "Shinigami" – f. + B

The very infamously slow and unsafe overhead. Other than being insanely bad as anything, the best application of this attack is to be used as a frame trap against players than want to jump out after Iori does a Close C on block. If Iori cancels Close C into Shinigami, the opponents will usually just jump into the Shinigami and get tagged by it. It's a really situational and rare purpose and occasion so this move is almost never used. If anything this move is here to mess people up and ask for more executional dexterity from the player.

• Ge Shiki Yuri Ori – (air) b. + B

Iori's, in a literal sense, "folding lily." This jump-in doesn't have overhead properties just like j.CD attacks. It functions has a pretty fast cross-up for a left/right mix up but whiffs on most of the crouching cast so it has limited properties as a cross up in this game. Yuri Ori only connects on medium height crouching characters and larger but most of the high tier, top tier, and popular characters crouch underneath the attack rendering it not as useful as it is in other games where some of the larger characters are more often used, such as KOF '98 and KOF '98 UM. Regardless, this is most players' favorite move to try to lazily cross someone up and still has its applications. Otherwise, the most effective use of this move is extending Iori's back dash speed and distance while mitigating any recovery. This move can almost triple Iori's back dash range while doubling the speed. Simply just back dash, continue to whole back, and press B to cancel Iori's back dash into Yuri Ori.

Special Moves

• 100-Shiki Oniyaki

• dp + P
• A standard "dragon punch"-like attack. The A version starts up faster but lacks invulnerability while the C Version is almost negligibly slower but has more invulnerability compared to most "dragon punches" in the game. This attack is super cancelable and is mostly used during Max mode combos. The main issue is that this moves a lot horizontally before Iori starts rising upwards so there is a blank spot, especially when Iori is cornered, where the opponent can pass over Iori's Oniyaki. In that case, Close C would work better as an anti-air in those situations since it has directly vertical coverage and is fast to tag most opponents anyways due to its 2-3 frame start up. So Close C, Oniyaki, and Iori's many air-to-airs and anti-airs all have to work in conjunction to support each other.

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• 108-Shiki Yami Barai

• qcf + P
• A standard grounded projectile. Within the context of Iori's move list, this functions more like a sweep than Iori's real sweep. Although it's hard to get in around a good Iori player, this projectile is really easy to punish if lazily used as most players can just hyper hop, super jump, or make it over the fireball and get a big combo on Iori. So to clearly state it, Yami Barai has significant amounts of recovery. Due to the range and chip however, this move is really good at coaxing players to want to jump often thus enticing Iori to be more patient and anti-air appropriately. When opponents want to stay grounded, then it's a good time to occasionally throw out a Yami Barai and pressure opponents to want to go airborne. It's good in block strings but if used too predictably it could be punished by a guard cancel roll used on the normal Yami Barai was canceled into.

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• 127-Shiki Aoi Hana

• (up to 3 times) qcb + P
• Iori's rekka series that supposedly is a green or blue flower. In addition to its good speed, it has pretty good vertical coverage against hops and generally good horizontal range to catch most things in general. The A version is a bit safer than it usually is in other KOF games even if space correctly the last hit could even be hard to punish, even safe. The general rule is that other than the first hit of the A version of Aoi Hana, Aoi Hana can and should punish Aoi Hana on block. This move has the tendency to also punish other attacks that are generally difficult to punish thanks to its speed and range and since it's a special move, it's easier to use ASAP due to being a special move thus enabling reversal window buffer timings. Generally though, the last hit of this move is not only overhead but largely unsafe on block in most situations and it should be avoided unless it's guaranteed to hit.

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• 212-Shiki Koto Tsuki In

• hcb + K
• A running attack that is faster than Iori's normal run but is really unsafe on block. It does more damage than all of the 3 hits of Aoi Hana combined in a single combo, so Koto Tsuki In is the best finisher for a meterless combo because of the longer period of hard knockdown and for the larger damage. Outside of combos, it's mainly used while whiffing after a successful Yaotome to quickly close in the distance. The odd thing about this move is that it doesn't have an hurt box what so ever during active frames so it can be used as a meaty to beat out any, if not, all reversals; but since this move is really obvious and really unsafe on block anyways, it is highly recommended against using this attack as a meaty.

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• Scum Gale

• hcb, f. + P
• Also called "winds of waste" depending on the translation. It's a delayed command throw with some start up invulnerability but runs out before the active frames of the command throw. If a player mashes light attacks hard enough or tries to reversal/meaty with a 2-hit normal attack, one could actually stuff out Scum Gale cleanly with minimal risk. Although it's a delayed command throw, it can combo from a light attack from up close for whatever reason the player may have. After the command throw, the player has enough time to combo afterwards. The easiest option is to directly combo into Aoi Hana or Yaotome. The next easiest option is combo a Far C into Aoi Hana or Yaotome. The next best options is running up and hitting with Close C into Koto Tsuki In or a BC combo to maximize damage. This command throw ties in largely with Iori's mix up game and normal throw option select mix ups. It also ties in with tick throw mix ups and anti-alternate guard set ups into knockdown.

Desperation Moves

• Jigoku Gokuraku Otoshi

• hcb hcb + P
• The standard command throw super with good range, speed, and damage. As with others of its kind, it has a slow recovery and recovers about as fast as a whiffed Tenchi Gaeshi. It comes from the same instances as Tenchi Gaeshi does and effectively just makes it a stronger version of Tenchi Gaeshi. Not much to write about this one because it is simple and straight forward.

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• Nekko Nuki

• hcf hcf + K
• A delayed, catch-throw move that will throw the opponent as long as the opponent is grounded in front of Daimon. Daimon would armor through and take the hits and damage from the opponent, but will throw as long as the opponent lands in front. For a Desperation Move this move has great, fast recovery. It's fast enough to punish someone that reacts to Nekko Nuki and neutrally full jumps with an anti-air, even Kumo Tsukami Nage. This is just the first of a three part Desperation Move that requires additional inputs. The player could simply end after the first part of Nekko Nuki and follow up the hard knockdown with a normal Kirikabu Gaeshi, but there is very little reason to that since there are better damage options by continuing the series.

• Zoku Kirikabu Gaeshi

• (during Nekko Nuki) hcf + K
• The follow up to Nekko Nuki. Although it does a super flash, it doesn't not require any more stocks to use to feel free to use it after a successful Nekko Nuki. After the Zoku Kirikabu Gaeshi, the player could choose to finish with a normal Kirikabu Gaeshi or go with the third part of the Desperation Move and end with Bukko Nuki Uranage. Both finishers of the combo do about the same damage, so it's up to the player what to finish it with.

• Bukko Nuki Uranage

• (during Zoku Kirikabu Gaeshi) dp + K
• The finisher of the three part Desperation Move. Not much to say about it other than it uses a similar animation as the Ura Nage except it causes a small explosion.

Max Desperation Moves

• Jigoku Gokuraku Otoshi

• hcb hcb + P
• A more damaging version of the normal Jigoku Gokuraku Otoshi with more Bam Bam slams and a Jiraishin at the end. On its own, it does about 45% damage towards the opponent's full life bar.

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• Nekko Nuki

• hcf hcf + KK
• Max Desperation Move version of Nekko Nuki. It has the same properties. The reason to use the MDM version of this series is for the ender.

• Zoku Kirikabu Gaeshi

• (during Nekko Nuki) hcf + K
• Same as the Desperation Move version of the attack. Be sure to use the Zuko Tenchi Gaeshi finisher and not another Kirikabu Gaeshi.

• Zoku Tenchi Gaeshi

• (during Zoku Kirikabu Gaeshi) dp + K
• The finisher of the three part Desperation Move that does way more damage than any other ender to this series. The first two parts do an estimated 20% damage to the opponent's complete life bar. Just doing the Zoku Tenchi Gaeshi takes away 50% of the opponent's total life bar, making the MDM Version of the Nekko Nuki series do a whopping 70% damage to the full life bar. A really great way to make someone feel like trash.

Max 2

• Ura 1219-Shiki Honoo Hotogi

• qcb hcf + PP
• Without a super flash, Iori jumps forward and grabs the opponent as soon as he lands on the ground. This Max 2 is a command throw and doesn't have too much use as most players could react to and hop out during Iori's unusual jump arc. It catches unwary players off guard but shouldn't be used often during the neutral game. It could be used as a full screen punish against something that recovers slowly but there should be better options unless Iori can't just run up and punish in time.

Combos

Essentials

• cl.C/D xx hcb+K

• Basic combo to punish the opponent and does the better meterless damage than Aoi Hana rekkas.

• cr.B, cr.A xx qcb+A x3

• The most consistent meterless combo from low, crouching hits. cr.A could be substituted with cl.B or cl.A if close enough.

• cr.B, cr.A xx f.A xx qcfhcb+P, qcfx4+PP or cl.C xx f.A xx qcfhcb+P, qcfx4+PP

• Standard way to combo into Yaotome in addition to its finisher.

• cl.C, BC, cl.C xx hcb+K xx dp+C (2-hits) xx hcb+K xx qcb+C x2 xx dp+C (2-hits) xx qcfx2+K

• The most common BC activation combo that takes away about 50% of the opponent's total health bar at the cost of the player's 2 stocks. 2 of these combos should kill or be close to it.

• cl.B, cl.C > hcb+K/qcb+Px3

• Reminder that cl.B can link into cl.C

• Far C xx qcb+Cx3/qcfhcb+P

• Could be used after hcb,f+P if running up and doing cl.C after the command throw is too hard for newer players.

The Basics

Hoo hah

Advanced Strategy

Hoo, Hoo, Hoo Hah, Hoo, Hoo Hah, Hoo Hah Ho

Match-Ups

The King of Fighters 2002: Unlimited Match