This page covers Kenshiro's combos. Before diving right in, be sure to familiarize yourself with Kenshiro's special moves and important normal moves.
Basic Combos
High Jump Combos
Kenshiro's main bread and butters are his high jump combos, nicknamed 'Hebikon' or 'Hebi Combos.' When first learning Kenshiro, practice these first!
Hebi Combo
| ~D > 236D > air dash j.C > c.D > 236D > high jump j.A > j.B > j.A > j.B > (j.A >) j.D > land~ |
Kenshiro's most basic and often-used combo. The last j.A will miss if the opponent is too high in the air, and thus must be left out in some situations. The air dash j.C can be changed to j.D, or replaced with forward jump j.C > slight delay j.D if you find it difficult to perform. Cannot be used on crouching opponents except Heart, and, if you change the first far D to far C, Rei. This combo works on all characters but can be extremely hard to pull off on Toki.
Toki-specific Hebi Combo
| ~D > 236D > forward jump j.C > slight delay j.D > c.D > 236D > forward jump j.A > j.B > j.A > j.D > land~ |
A modified version of the above combo for use on Toki. The opponent doesn't bounce as high, so some finishing options, like 236C, are harder to connect with.
After landing Kenshiro has many options for ending the combo. The most basic of these are:
No Gauge
| ~CD or ~236C or ~FKO |
Using Only Aura
| ~236236A > 623A |
Using Only Boost
| ~CD > 236C+E > 623A+E |
Using Boost and Aura
| ~CD > 236C+E > 236236A+E |
Banishing Strike Combos
Kenshiro's Banishing Strike combos are quite powerful, and can be divided into two types: quick 3-star FKO combos, usually done from a hit confirmed 2B, and longer wallbounce combos that focus on damage. For the former type of Banishing Strike combo, see the Fatal KO Combos section. There are many different possible wallbounce combos, but they all follow the same basic pattern of looping air dash attacks with the Jaraikou special, which is great for closing distance and continuing the combo. For longer combos, utilizing longer air dashes will make them much easier to perform. This is done by putting a slight delay between the air dash and the air attack.
Basic Banishing Strike Combo Starter
| ~2B > 236C~E > CD+E > 6~ |
A useful Banishing Strike combo starter that Requires 1 bar of Boost. It is also possible to Kara Cancel 2D into a Banishing strike from far D like Raoh can, but you need to be extremely close to the opponent for the Banishing Strike to connect, making this method harder to pull off.
Hieiken Wall Combo Starter
| 623B > air dash j.B or j.D > dash D~ |
While technically not a Banishing Strike combo, Hieiken causes wall bounce and can be used to start a wall combo in the same manner as a Banishing Strike. Very position dependent.
Ryugekiko Wall Combo Starter
| 214A > (E >) D~ |
While technically not a Banishing Strike combo, Ryugekiko causes wall bounce and can be used to start a wall combo in the same manner as a Banishing Strike. Near the corner it is sometimes possible to follow up without the use of Boost.
6B Wall Combo Starter
| 6B(CH) > air dash j.B(+E) > dash D~ |
While technically not a Banishing Strike combo, 6B causes wall bounce on Counter Hit and can be used to start a wall combo in the same manner as a Banishing Strike. Extremely effective against Guard Cancels, and unlike using Musou Tensei you can simply hold forward and mash B on seeing the Guard Cancel flash.
Basic Wall Combo
| ~c.D > D > 236D > air dash j.A > c.D > D > 236D > [air dash j.C > 236D]x2 > air dash j.D > 236236A |
A basic and very damaging wall combo. The first set of c.D > D should be performed quickly, while the second is best done with a delay in between the hits. If there are more than 2 hits in the combo before the Banishing Strike the wallbounce will increase, making the combo timings more severe. In such cases, removing one the the far D's from the first or second set will make it much easier to perform.
Raw Banishing Wall Combo #1
| CD > 6 > c.D > 236C > D > 236A > D > 236D > air dash j.C > [236D > air dash j.B]x2 > 236D > air dash j.D > 236236A |
For use from a raw Banishing Strike hit. Must be in corner when the close D hits or the combo will drop. Does about 70% damage.
Raw Banishing Wall Combo #2
| CD > 6 > c.D > 623A > E > c.D > c.D > 236C > D > 236A > D > 236D > [air dash j.C > 236D]x3 > air dash j.D > 236236A |
For use from a raw Banishing Strike hit. Takes off 3 stars and works on all characters. Does about 80% damage.
Other Basic Combos
"Better than Nothing" Combo
| ~2D > 623B or 236236A |
Used midscreen when comboing into far D isn't possible, ie. against a crouching opponent.
2D Grave Shoot Combo
| ~2D > AC > D > 236D > high jump~ |
For use in the corner against crouching opponents. Also works midscreen if you Boost the Grave Shoot. Can be difficult to perform on Toki, Jagi, and Mamiya.
Anti-air Grave Shoot Combo
| D > AC > D > 236D > high jump~ |
Used after connecting with far D on an airborne opponent. Depending on the distance you may need to Boost the Grave Shoot in some situations. Can be difficult to perform on Toki, Jagi, and Mamiya.
Advanced Combos
Dizzied Opponent Combos
Thanks to his high jump combos which make great use of the Chikuseki phenomenon, Kenshiro often dizzies his opponents. Once you see that you have dizzied your opponent, you want to end your combo with a Banishing Strike or 623A, then quickly confirm your opponent's remaining stars, life, and your own available gauge. You will then use this information to select an appropriate combo to follow up with - your goal is for your opponent to start the next round with 3 stars or less, and to conserve at least one bar of Boost.
2-star Zero Life Finisher
| AB > CD+E |
Used when you need to remove 2 stars but your opponent has very little life left.
2-star Ujou Finisher
| c.B > 623A > (c.D >) 236C > 236236A |
Uses 1 Aura. Hard to perform on Toki.
3-star Ujou Finisher
| c.B > 623A > c.D > CD > c.D+E > 236C > 236236A |
Uses 0.25 Boost 1 Aura. Hard to perform on Toki.
3-star Banishing Strike Finisher
| c.D > D > CD > 6 > 623A > E > c.D > 236A > D > 236D > [air dash j.C > 236D]x3 > air dash j.D > 236236A or dash 2B |
Big damage. For use when your opponent still has a lot of health left.
4-star BD Throw Finisher
| BD > 623A > CD+E > c.D+E > D > 236236A |
Uses 1 Boost 1 Aura. Doesn't work on Mamiya, and can be difficult on Raoh. Does less damage than a Banishing Strike combo, so good to use when the opponent has little health left.
Other Advanced Combos
100% Banishing Strike Combo
| c.D > D > CD > 623A+E > 236C+E > c.D > 236A > D > 236D > [air dash j.C > 236D]x3 > air dash j.C+E > CD+E > c.D+E > D > 236236A > 236236A |
Uses 2 Boost and 2 Aura. Corner only. Doesn't work on Kenshiro or Toki, and won't kill Raoh from full health. The final far D is not needed against Mamiya. Discovered quite soon after the games release. Does not see much use anymore, but listed for references sake.
Dribble Combos
Kenshiro's basic Dribble combos are quite simple to perform in comparison to those of other characters, but unfortunately can be very situation-dependent. Except against Raoh, most require Kenshiro to be facing away from the corner at the start of the combo. Some dribble routes can be performed anywhere, but these can be very difficult to execute consistantly.
While possible, Kenshiro for the most part does not make use of Hyakuretsu combos, as they require much more meter and are are less practical than his relatively easy dribble combos.
Basic Dribble Combo
Kenshiro's most basic dribble can be done with 1.2 Boost and 1 Aura, and requires you to be near the corner and facing the opposite direction. If you have already arrived in the corner when performing the Boost jump D, you will not be able to switch sides with your opponent and the combo will fail. The exception to this is Raoh, on who you can perform the basic dribble from any location on the screen. The basic dribble works on all characters except Toki, who requires a different setup.
Before jumping right in to the combos, there is some important information regarding Kenshiro's dribbles that it is good to know. First off, to actually begin a dribble, it is necessary to get in a 35 or more hit air combo ended with a Kassatsu super, after which you begin bouncing your opponent off the ground using A > 2Ax4 > B, then follow with [dash 2A > B]xn. We consider all hits after connecting with Jaraikou to be part of the 'air combo.' On Kenshiro, Jagi, and Juda, if you only get exactly 35 air hits, the B will often miss - for this reason it is necessary to get in 36 hits against Jagi and Juda, and 37 hits on Kenshiro. Additionally, against Shin, Mamiya, and Toki, you bounce your opponent using A > delay 2A > B > [dash 2A]xn. Now that you know the basics behind Kenshiro's dribble mechanics, lets move on to the basic recipes.
Basic Dribble (Raoh, Rei, Thouther-specific)
| ~D > 236D > forward jump j.B > j.C > D > 236D > air dash j.A > j.D > E > high jump j.A > j.B > j.A > j.B > j.A > j.B > air dash j.A > j.B or j.D > 2A > Ax2 > A~E > Ax6 > A~E > Ax2 > 236236A > A > 2Ax4 > B > dash 2A > B~ |
This combo alone has changed the Kenshiro vs Raoh matchup greatly, and puts Kenshiro on more even ground.
Against Raoh when in the corner it is important to keep him fairly high in the air throughout the beginning of the combo, and then delay the highjump very slightly after the Boost canceled jump D, which allows you to switch sides with him.
Versus Rei you will sometimes drop the combo at the very end when doing 2Ax4 > B depending on how high he is bouncing. This is easily fixed by doing 2Ax5 > B or adding in an extra standing A before the Kassatsu.
Kenshiro-specific Dribble
| ~D > 236D > forward jump j.B > j.C > D > 236D > air dash j.A > j.D > E > high jump j.A > j.B > j.A > j.B > j.A > j.B > air dash j.A > j.B or j.D > 2A > Ax3 > A~E > Ax7 > A~E > Ax2 > 236236A > A > 2Ax4 > B > dash 2A > B~ |
Against Kenshiro, using c.A at any point will cause the combo to drop, so it is important to follow the above recipe precisely. Differences from Basic Dribble highlighted in red.
Jagi, Juda-specific Dribble
| ~D > 236D > forward jump j.B > j.C > D > 236D > air dash j.A > j.D > E > high jump j.A > j.B > j.A > j.B > j.A > j.B > air dash j.A > j.B or j.D > 2A > Ax2 > A~E > Ax7 > A~E > Ax2 > 236236A > A > 2Ax4 > B > dash 2A > B~ |
Against Jagi, you want the Kassatsu to hit at the highest point of his bounce after the last standing A. Also, during the A > 2Ax4... part, it is necessary to time the 2A's more quickly than usual. These considerations do not apply to Juda, who is much easier to combo. Differences from Basic Dribble highlighted in red.
Shin-specific Dribble
| ~D > 236D > forward jump j.B > j.C > D > 236D > air dash j.A > j.D > E > high jump j.A > j.B > j.A > j.B > j.A > j.B > air dash j.A > j.B or j.D > 2A > Ax2 > A~E > Ax6 > A~E > Ax2 > 236236A > A > delay 2A > B > dash 2A~ |
Like with Jagi, Kassatsu must hit Shin at the highest point of his bounce after the last standing A. The way you start the dribble with Shin is also different from that of most characters and requires some practice to get used to. It is also possible to loop dash 2A > B if doing just dash 2A is difficult, but the way Shin bounces is a bit weird and may be hard to control. At around 50 hits you may want to switch to doing dash A > AC loops if you find yourself dropping the combo a lot. Differences from Basic Dribble highlighted in red.
Heart-specific Dribble
| ~D > 236D > forward jump j.B > j.C > D > 236D > air dash j.A > j.D > E > high jump j.A > j.B > j.A > j.B > j.A > j.B > air dash slight delay j.A > j.B or j.D > 2A > A > A~E > Ax7 > A~E > A > 236236A > A > 2Ax4 > B > dash 2A > B~ |
Despite the fact that this is only 34 air hits, you are able to dribble Heart for some reason. To avoid dropping Hearth during the highjump portion of the combo it is necessary to do a slightly longer air dash. Differences from Basic Dribble highlighted in red.
Dribble Followups
So you got to the end of the combo and they are bouncing, hooray! But what comes next? You have many options at this point, but as a general guide you can do something like this: continue with dash 2A > B until you reach around 50~56 hits, at which point your opponent should be bouncing quite high, then switch to dash A > A, timing your hits by watching them bounce. At 60~65 hits they will be bouncing even higher, and you can start doing forward jump j.A(while rising) > j.A(on the way down), then landing and repeating. Although it will take a while, you can continue doing this until your opponent dies or time runs out.
Once they are really bouncing you can pretty much do whatever you want as long as you keep hitting them, so experiment. One important trick that it is good to practice is known as the 'elevator,' and can be performed by doing A > AC > slight delay j.A > [j.A]xn. You never land and just need to keep hitting your opponent as they bounce back up to you. The reason this technique is so awesome is that during a Grave Strike combo, the rate at which both you and your opponent gain Boost and Aura is extremely slow. Then, when your opponent is near death, you can land and do A > [mash 2A]xn or [c.D > 214C]xn, which will max out your meter while giving your opponent very little.
Throw Combos
Kenshiro has a fairly decent throw, which accents his corner mixup very nicely. His BD throw also sees quite a bit of use, as he dizzies his opponents more than any other character (See Dizzied Opponent Combos/Fatal KO Combos).
Basic Corner Throw
| Throw > 2A > D > 236D > high jump combo~ |
Works against all characters in the corner. Possible to perform midscreen as well with the use of Boost.
Kenshiro, Rei-specific Midscreen Throw #1
| Throw > D > 236D > air dash j.D > D > 236D > high jump combo~ |
For use on Kenshiro and Rei from a midscreen throw. The timing on the first D can be quite difficult but is worth practicing.
Kenshiro, Rei-specific Midscreen Throw #2
| Throw > 2A > D > 236D > air dash j.D > D > 236D > air dash j.A > j.D > 623A |
Easier to pull off than the above combo, but less flexible.
Midscreen Throw Finisher
| Throw > D+E > 236C > 236236A |
A 2-star combo for finishing off the opponent from a midscreen throw. Only requires 0.25 Boost.
Fatal KO Combos
1-star 2D Grave Shoot FKO
| ~2D > AC(+E) > c.D > CD > FKO+E |
Uses 1 Boost.
1-star High Jump FKO #1
| ~high jump combo > CD > E > FKO |
Uses 1 Boost.
1-star High Jump FKO #2
| ~high jump combo > 236236A > FKO |
Uses 1 Aura.
2-star High Jump FKO
| ~high jump combo > CD > 236C+E > FKO+E |
Uses 1 Boost. Doesn't work on Raoh or Toki.
2-star Raoh-specific High Jump FKO
| ~high jump combo > CD > c.D+E > 236C > FKO+E |
Uses 1 Boost.
3-star Hit Confirm Banishing FKO
| 2Bx1~2 > 236C~E > CD+E > 6 > c.D > 623A > FKO+E |
Uses 1 Boost. Kenshiro's most practical 3-star FKO, which is both simple to do and very easy to confirm from 2B.
3-star Heart, Shin-specific High Jump FKO
| ~high jump combo > 236236A > A > CD > 623A+E > FKO+E |
Uses 1 Boost 1 Aura.
3-star Jaraikou FKO
| ~236D > air dash j.A > j.D > 623A > CD+E > c.D+E > 236C > FKO+E |
Uses 1.2 Boost. Doesn't work on Raoh or Toki.
4-star BD Throw FKO #1
| BD > 623A > CD+E > c.D+E > 236C (> FKO) |
Uses just 1.2 Boost!
4-star BD Throw FKO #2
| BD > 2A > D > 236C+E > CD+E > c.D+E > 623A (> FKO) |
Much easier to perform than the above combo, but requires 2 Boost.
Other Important Combos
Quick Overhead
| Air dash j.B > (j.A >) 2A > 2B~ |
Insanely fast overhead. Mostly for use in the corner. The j.A is a mixup option that will hit opponents who are expecting you to do an air dash j.B > 2B.
Quick Overhead Mixup Option #1
| Air dash j.B > j.A > 214A > 2A > D~ |
A mixup option for the above pattern. Extremely risky, but effective if used sparsely.
Quick Overhead Mixup Option #2
| Air dash j.B > j.A > 214A~E > Throw |
Another mixup option. The Shichishiki sound and animation play but you land without the move actually hitting, and quickly perform a throw. Basically impossible to react to unless you know it is coming. Pretty much guaranteed to succeed the first time you do it to an opponent.
High-low Setup
| 6A > 2B+E > c.D~ |
Air dash j.B being as effective as it is 6A rarely if ever gets any use, but it can't hurt to have this in your arsenal. Similar to Raoh's 6B > 2B setup, this is extremely difficult to block even when you know it is coming.
Raoh, Heart-specific Overhead Setup
| Forward jump j.A > j.B > j.B > j.B > (j.A >) 2B~ |
A gimmicky but truly unfair setup for use against Raoh and Heart in the corner. The trick is to make your opponent standing guard the first j.A, which you input as soon as possible after jumping. After that they will be hit if they try to switch to low guard, which usually happens after the second or third hit.