Advanced V.G. 2/Kyoko

Introduction

Kyoko doesn't even want to be here.

At a glance, you might think that Kyoko is a grappler character. However, while she does sport a command grab and a unique anti-air grab special, Kyoko is, surprisingly, far more well-suited to a close-range pressure game backed up by some dirty setplay. Sporting strong combos, one of the few four-hit aerial chains in the game, and powerful okizeme with EX Sazanka, Kyoko excels at overwhelming the opponent and not giving them a chance to breathe. However, this strength comes at the cost of a somewhat linear neutral game -- with her aerial normals being her primary way to start offense, she suffers against characters with good space control options. She also very heavily relies on meter to get going, so properly managing your resources is paramount to making Kyoko work.

Pros	Cons
Great combo damage Fantastic air normals and a four-hit air chain help bolster her aerial presence Absolutely terrifying okizeme	Weak long-distance options force her to take to the skies, leaving her open to anti-airs Lack of ground chains makes it difficult for her to confirm combos High dependence on meter forces her to be very mindful of her resources

Movelist

st.

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	FrameAdv
	Mid		-	-	-
A short elbow jab, the speed and recovery on this bad boy is insane, it has no chains but due to how fast it is it can link into every other standing or crouching normal she has. The range is also much better than what it looks like, albeit still a short jab. Special cancelable.

---

st.

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	FrameAdv
	Mid		-	-	-
A long front kick, one of Kyoko's best space control tools as she link it into itself and special cancel it (although linking multiple times will put you out of range for an Ominaeshi)

---

st.

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	FrameAdv
	Mid		-	-	-
An upward palm strike, awful horizontal range means this is primarily used in juggle combos. Special cancelable.

---

st.

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	FrameAdv
	Mid		-	-	-
A reverse kick, kinda useless as it actually has less range than stLK and has so much pushback that special canceling it into Ominaeshi will whiff anywhere but point blank. This will move Kyoko forward a little bit after recovering.

---

cr.

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	FrameAdv
	Mid		-	-	-
A quick punch, much like it's standing version it too can link into every other standing or crouching normal and is special cancelable.

---

cr.

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	FrameAdv
	Low		-	-	-
A quick low kick with good range and good recovery, can link into itself and crLP but does not offer enough hitstun for anything else. Is special cancelable.

---

cr.

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	FrameAdv
	Mid		-	-	-
A rising palm strike from crouching position, Kyoko's launcher. The goal is to link into this because this is what starts her damage and thusly starts her gameplan.

---

cr.

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	FrameAdv
	Low		-	-	-
A good sweep, acceptable range, special cancelable, and is her OTG pickup.

---

j.

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	FrameAdv
	High		-	-	-
Kyoko adds a little spice to her palm strike by using her sandal as a weapon. A very fast air normal with a good hitbox and active length, chains into all other air normals.

---

j.

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	FrameAdv
	High		-	-	-
A downward angled kick, better range than jLP and chains into all other air normals.

---

nj.

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	FrameAdv
	High		-	-	-
a upward angled kikc, shorter range than the diagonal version but is her only air normal made for catching someone your height or higher.

---

j.

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	FrameAdv
	High		-	-	-
The sandal is back! The range is a little too shallow to use as a jump in but otherwise a good enough button for air control. Chains into jHK.

---

j.

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	FrameAdv
	High		-	-	-
Now THATS a jump in! Kyoko puts her ankles into it as this move will hit anything below her. This can instant overhead a crouching opponent and chains into jHP.

---

Command Moves

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	FrameAdv
	Mid		-	-	-
A short-range hook slap. Special cancels, but doesn't really do a whole lot for you. Kinda slow and short and overall just dumpy.

---

Target Combos
st.HP > st.HK/cr.HK

(j.LP > j.LK) or (j.LK > j.LP) > (j.HP > j.HK) or (j.HK > j.HP)
(j.HP > j.HK) or (j.HK > j.HP)

Guard Cancels
LP: st.HP
LK: st.HK
HP: LP Ominaeshi (qcf+LP)
HK: LK Sazanka (dp+K)

Kyoko will usually get the most mileage out of her LP and LK guard cancels. LP works best for airborne opponents, LK is best for grounded opponents due to its horizontal range. In either case, your goal is to convert into Ominaeshi to score a combo.

Special Moves

Ominaeshi

+ ~

Version	Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	FrameAdv
		Mid	8		-	-
A short-range lackadaisical uppercut attack. Has an advancing elbow follow-up called Otokoeshi, performed by pressing P again. The strength of Otokoeshi is determined by the version of Ominaeshi used. The LP version stays in place.
		Mid	9	-	-	-
the HP version moves forward slightly. You want to use HP Ominaeshi in combos. Near and at max range, Otokoeshi will not connect on the ground.
+		Mid		-	-	-
EX version has both hits come out automatically, deals strong damage and has some defensive utility due to it being an instant super at close range, so it's worth keeping a bar stocked for this if you need it.
+	1	Mid		-	-	-
SECRET: Essentially HP Ominaeshi, but with a notable difference to Otokoeshi: in exchange for a smaller hitbox and incredibly reduced damage (only dealing 1pt), it builds significantly more meter than other versions of the move -- a quarter of a bar on whiff, and half a bar on hit! Unlike most other secret moves, this is extremely useful for Kyoko, since meter is so important to the rest of her gameplan. However, bear in mind that when in range, Jinchouge will take priority over this move. Also unlike a lot of other secret moves, this does not overlap with an EX or Super, meaning you can continue to use it after you build 1 bar.

---

Shakunage

+

Version	Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	FrameAdv
		N/A	4	-	-	-
A series of three catch counters. LP version catches jumping normals and overheads. All versions launch for a juggle follow-up, good way to catch people out for being too predictable with their buttons in neutral.
		N/A	4	-	-	-
HP version catches grounded mids/highs.
+		N/A	4	-	-	-
LP+HP version also catches grounded mids/highs. Shakunage cannot catch lows or projectiles, but the LP+HP version side swaps.

---

Sazanka

+

Version	Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	FrameAdv
		N/A		-	-	-
Leaping anti-air grab. Even though it's unblockable, the lack of invincibility makes this move difficult to use as an anti-air. Its use in combos is higly valuable, though, since it provides a hard knockdown, setting up Kyoko's incredibly scary okizeme.
		N/A		-	-	-
the HP version leaps higher.
+		M/A		-	-	-
The EX version is particularly useful since it deals more damage and is easily confirmable as a super cancel from Ominaeshi.
+		Mid		-	-	-
SECRET: Effectively the same as HK Sazanka, except it travels the same height as the EX version. Jinchouge will take priority at close range (Housenka if you have 2 or more meters), while EX Sazanka will take priority if you have at least one meter.

---

Jinchouge

cl. +

Version	Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	FrameAdv
		N/A		-	-	-
Kyoko's command grab. A nice option to have against people who are turtling up too much against your offense. In the corner, this can net you a combo with an OTG pickup, so it becomes doubly useful there. Bear in mind, though, that you need to be careful when executing this move from a dash -- if you have no meter you'll often get Sazanka, and if you have two bars you might accidentally let Hosenka rip. Best to try and tick into it.

---

Super Moves

Housenka

cl. +

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	FrameAdv
	N/A	1	-	-	-
1F command grab super that's unjumpable after the flash. Because of the way the final group of hits work, the best damage will often come from landing this in the center of the screen (not the center of the stage). However, you can combo after this in the corner by following up with Ominaeshi (it will whiff, but Otokoeshi will hit), which you can then extend with a super cancel if you feel like dumping meter.

---

Strategy

Because Kyoko lacks good long-range options for neutral, your best bet is to try and build meter by whiffing your air chains if your opponent decides to back off. If you can successfully goad them into coming to you, you can intercept their approach by jumping toward them with your fantastic aerial buttons and try to establish offense. If you find yourself on the defensive, you have some solid guard cancel options and EX Ominaeshi, so don't forget to use those if you need some breathing room. Remember that Kyoko is very highly dependent on meter to really make the best of her tools, so make sure you stay on top of your resource management.

Kyoko's okizeme starts with landing EX Sazanka. From here, you want to dash jump into j.HK. This effectively sets up an ambiguous left-right mixup, with the side you end up on depending on the timing of your button press. Since the resulting combo you land from this generates a fair amount of meter, you can loop this okizeme setup for a pretty decent amount of time, cashing out a ton of damage in the process.

Combos

For all combos ending with Ominaeshi, Otokoeshi is assumed unless you're super cancelling. If you are, you can cash out some meter by cancelling Ominaeshi into EX Sazanka, or cancelling Otokoeshi into EX Ominaeshi xx EX Sazanka.

Basic Combos
5LP, 2HP, sj.HK > j.HP, 5HP > 5HK xx 236P
(corner) 5LP, 2HP(3), 5HP > 5HK xx 236P

Anti-Air Combos
236PP xx 623623K
5LP(1-2), sj.LK > j.HK > j.HP, 236LP

Throw Combos
41236HK, 2HK
(corner) 41236HK, walk 2HK xx 236LP, 2HP(2) xx 623LK
(corner) 41236HK, walk 2HK xx 236LP, 2HP, 236HP > Ender

Counter Combo
421LP, sj.LK > j.HK, 5HP > 5HK xx 236P
421HP, 236HP
421PP, 2HK xx 236HP