Introduction
Sean is perhaps the most efficient definition of an underrated character in the history of fighting games. In the 2nd version of Street Fighter III, 2nd Impact, he was pretty much totally broken, doing tons of damage off of his lengthy combo strings. In response to this, Capcom did the responsible thing and made him an original character, as opposed to a black Ken in a yellow gi.
Well, they did it a little too well.
Other than being extremely hard to use and situational because of his hit-box placement and frame advantage (Dragon Smash's hit-box is located over his head), 3s makes Sean much more of a defensive counter character. When you play as him you have to understand that he does have a lot of good points, such as his MP-HK target combo, Cl.HK, and EX Tornado that inflicts nice stun on everyone. He trades pretty well and if used properly on the right SA's against the right match-ups. He also has an assortment of AAs:
- Cr FP
- St RH (steep jump in)
- DS (over or near over Sean's head only)
- Tornado (steep jump in)
- Wheel Kick (mid-far jump in. Do not kick into them. Wheel kick with the appropriate range for their jump in)
- f+FP/MP
- RH (far slow good for angled jump in)
- FP (close)
Now try to pull all that together and use them based on your match-up's move-set/hit-box placement. See how hard he is to use? Now if you don't use his AA's based on your match-up's move-set you will struggle. End of story.
Specific Character Information
- Stamina: 1120
- Stun Bar Length (pixels): 64 (Normal)
- Stun Bar Recovery (frames it takes to recover 1 pixel): 23rd frame
- Taunt: Increases stun damage for the next hit/combo by 12.5% per ball thrown. If Sean throws nothing (ie. another ball on the screen), there is no bonus. Maximum 3 balls thrown, 37.5% bonus.
- Best Kara-Throw: F+HP
- Standard Throw Range (pixels): 20
- Dash Forward (frames) / Moving Distance: 13 / 1
- Dash Backward (frames) / Moving Distance: 13 / 1
- Normal Wake up (frames): 77
- Quick Stand (frames): 50
Strategy
Chippiness
Sean can deal alot of damage to your Stun meter in small "chips" at a time.You see since he can't combo very well he needs to hit you more over the duration of the match to break even. He's not ranked very high because "chippy"(High/mid damage:low combo ability)character in tournaments fall apart because professional players will not give you a chance to hit them many times and they don't make many mistakes. So try to find ways to chip until you have meter then use your SAs to deal large damage to break even.
Parrying with Sean
You need to parry and parry well to use Sean. Jump into/out of parry dash in/dash back into parry. Parry makes Sean a good character. If you do not use it he will suck. A lot of his moves are extremely situational/impractical/strange hit-box placement. You need the parry and other tech to setup into said moves.
EX Tornado
After a EX tornado, you have 8 different options you can choose from while your opponent typically only has 5 (but be ready to gamble):
- Block [loses to grabs]
- Throw (Regular or Kara) [loses to reversals, evasive maneuvers, super]
- Parry/SGGK/OS [Least risk]
- EX Dragon Smash [loses to Throw, blocking, reversals, evasive maneuvers and super]
- Zenten [loses to reversals and super]
- Dash Backwards [loses to super]
- Jump forward/backwards [loses to reversals]
- Super [loses to blocking]
Moves List
NOTE: Names taken from Kao Megura's Street Fighter III 3S FAQ (can be found in GameFAQs.com)
Dragon Smash: F, D, DF+P
Tornado: QCB+K
Ryuubi-kyaku: QCF+K
Sean Tackle: HCF+Hold P (not holding P will have him dash forward, the length depends on the button used)
Zenten: QCB+P
Command Normals
Sean Pachiki: F+HP
Rolling Sobat: F+HK
Target Combos
St. MP-->HK (Not cancel-able BUT can link an SA III after it on Makoto)
Close HP-->F+HP (F+HP is overhead and it wont combo)
Taunt:Jump Shot (Basketball)
Effect: Added stun to next move (if ball hits)
Move Analysis
Tornado:
The Pros:
Its easy to combo into (LK/MK/EX versions) from HK, MP, etc. Does good damage and its useful for pressuring opponents. The LK tornado can be used as an anti-air and combo'd into SA1 before they hit the ground (corner only). Also the HK or MK versions are great for chip out wins
The Cons:
All variations of Tornado are unsafe on hit AND block (except for EX which is 99% safe) and Comboing into the HK tornado works only vs Crouching opponents (still very unsafe)
Dragon Smash:
The Pros:
Can be cancelled into SA1 and 2. The EX version comes out in 9 frames ( with 8 frames of invincibility) and is his true reversal. It trades nicely with jump in attacks.
The Cons:
People tend to think DS is a DP. Well it's not. Its slower (not by much) but it has most of its priority over Sean's head. It doesn't have much range, so it has a high chance of whiff-ing plus you can't combo into it off of Cl.HK but only on a few characters and he can be grabbed out of it as well (all versions).
Tackle:
The Pros:
This is another source of mobility in addition to Sean's already fast and lengthy dash. Its start-up is low to the ground which gives him a 2nd move that goes underneath projectiles (the first being Zenten). Useful to close distance from you to the opponent when used just for the dash itself. The tackle itself is only useful in catching whiffed lows or dashes when in close enough range. You can cancel into this (LP version) from his HK/HP/HP for fake outs into grab/EX DS/super but be for-warned doing this against someone who's quick enough to punish you. You can combo into this off of his taunt for style.
The Cons:
Has somewhat of the same problem. Capcom does not make the attack a "grab" and they don't give the attack the "duck" property (like Yun's jump kick and Dudley's rush attack or Sean's Zenten) So now you have a move that has 0 priority until the actual tackle attack. Even then its too slow/predictable.
Ryuubi Kyaku:
The Pros:
The second special AA that Sean has. The range of this move is deceptive, it can hit very high in the air and even stuff out some of the other shoto's air tatsu's. Useful for when the opponent tries to jump out of the corner and you smack them back down into there with it. The EX can hit up to 3 times if you catch an Opp. jumping away for good damage and stun. Like the tackle, you can also combo into this off the basketball taunt, you know, for style.
The Cons:
This move is really easy to see coming and parry. Plus all variations of it (save for EX) are -5 up close and 0 from far away so you have to know where to put this move so the chances of it getting parried are low. Its really easy to avoid by just walking backwards to be just out of range and wide open to eat whatever damage for missing.
Zenten:
The Pros:
The roll lowers his hit-box to the ground which allows him to avoid throws and projectiles for however long its out on screen. It can even avoid high hitting supers altogether when done early enough. Its parry bait as well since opponents who know about this move will stick lows/overheads out constantly to punish you for using this.
The Cons:
Its throw invincible, not attack invincible. It can help you out every once in a while to get out of pressure but its not recommended to do it all the time.
Combos
Meter-less
J.Fierce - Strong/Roundhouse
J.Fierce - Strong - Dragon Smash (f,d,df+P)
Standing Close HP - Fierce Dragon Smash
Crouching MK - Tornado (Short)
Crouching MK - Dragon Smash (f,d,df+P)
Close MP - Close HK (Target Combo)
Crouching LK - Crouching LP - Crouching LK
EX moves
Standing close HP - EX Dragon Smash/Tornado
Standing close MP - EX Tornado/Dragon Smash
Crouching MK - EX Tornado/Dragon Smash
J.Fierce - Close HP - EX Tornado (His highest stun combo)
J.Fierce - Close HK - EX Tornado (His most damaging combo)
Super Art I
Crouching LK - Crouching LP - Crouching LK - Hadou-Burst
Crouching MK - Hadou-Burst
Standing close HK - link Hadou-Burst
UOH - link Hadou-Burst
Standing close HP - Dragon Smash (LP) - Hadou-Burst
Close HK - Dragon Smash - Hadou-Burst (On certain characters)
J.Fierce/Roundhouse - Close HK/HP/MP - Hadou-Burst
J.Fierce/Roundhouse - Cr.MK - Dragon Smash - Hadou-Burst
Super Art II
UOH (Meaty) - link Shoryu Cannon
Crouching Forward - Jab Dragon Smash - Shoryu Cannon
Close Fierce - Jab Dragon Smash - Shoryu Cannon
J.Fierce/Roundhouse - Close HK - Shoryu Cannon - EX Dragon Smash
J.Fierce/Roundhouse - Cr.MK - Dragon Smash - Shoryu Cannon
You can add a Jab Dragon Smash/Close HK or HP (Hugo and Alex) in the corner to link into another Shoryu Cannon if you have both stocks. It'll look something like this:
(Corner) Close Fierce - Jab Dragon Smash - Shoryu Cannon - Crouching Forward - Shoryu Cannon - Jab Dragon Smash
You can replace the Crouch Forward to Close Roundhouse for big hit-box characters like Q, Elena, Chun, etc.
Super Art III
Crouching LK - Crouching LP - Crouching LK - Hyper-Tornado
Crouching MK - Hyper Tornado
Standing close HK/HP/MP - link Hyper Tornado
UOH - link Hyper Tornado
J.Fierce/Roundhouse - Target Combo - SA3 (Makoto only)
J.Fierce/Roundhouse - Close HK/HP - SA3
Frame Data
Normal Moves, Command Normals, Other
| Move | Parry | Damage | Stun | Cancel Ability | Startup | Active | Recover | Frame Adv. Block | Frame Adv. Hit | Frame Adv. Hit Crouching |
| Light Punch | HL | 20 | 3 | C*Sp*Su | 3 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Medium Punch | H | 90 | 9 | Sp*Su | 5 | 4 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Hard Punch | H | 120 | 13 | Sp*Su | 5 | 4 | 15 | -4 | -2 | 0 |
| Light Kick | HL | 30 | 3 | - | 4 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Medium Kick | HL | 90 | 5 | - | 6 | 3 | 15 | -2 | -1 | 0 |
| Hard Kick | H | 145 | 11 | - | 5 | 4 | 10 | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| Far Medium Punch | H | 80 | 11 | - | 5 | 3 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Far Hard Punch | H | 120(100) | 11 | - | 9 | 3 | 19 | -7 | -5 | -3 |
| Far Hard Kick | H | 120(100) | 11(9) | - | 7 | 3 | 26 | -9 | -7 | -5 |
| Crouching Light Punch | HL | 20 | 3 | C*Sp*Su | 4 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Crouching Medium Punch | HL | 80 | 7 | Sp*Su | 5 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Crouching Hard Punch | HL | 120 | 13 | Sp*Su | 7 | 4 | 17 | -9 | -7 | -5 |
| Crouching Light Kick | L | 20 | 3 | C*Sp*Su | 5 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Crouching Medium Kick | L | 70 | 3 | Sp*Su | 7 | 4 | 17 | -4 | -3 | -2 |
| Crouching Hard Kick | L | 120 | 3 | - | 8 | 4 | 26 | -16 | Down | Down |
| Neutral Jumping Light Punch | H | 40 | 7 | - | 5 | - | - | - | - | - |
| Neutral Jumping Medium Punch | H | 90 | 11 | - | 6 | 4 | - | - | - | - |
| Neutral Jumping Hard Punch | H | 130 | 15 | - | 7 | 2 | - | - | - | - |
| Neutral Jumping Light Kick | H | 50 | 7 | - | 5 | 18 | - | - | - | - |
| Neutral Jumping Medium Kick | H | 90 | 9 | - | 5 | 5 | - | - | - | - |
| Neutral Jumping Hard Kick | H | 130 | 13 | - | 7 | 4 | - | - | - | - |
| Jumping Light Punch | H | 50 | 7 | - | 4 | - | - | - | - | - |
| Jumping Medium Punch | H | 90 | 9 | - | 5 | 4 | - | - | - | - |
| Jumping Hard Punch | H | 130 | 13 | - | 6 | 3 | - | - | - | - |
| Jumping Light Kick | H | 50 | 5 | - | 4 | 9 | - | - | - | - |
| Jumping Medium Kick | H | 90 | 9 | - | 5 | 5 | - | - | - | - |
| Jumping Hard Kick | H | 110 | 13 | - | 6 | 3 | - | - | - | - |
| Toward + Hard Punch | H | 60+80 | 7+7 | - | 21 | 1*4 | 22 | -6 | - | - |
| Toward + Hard Kick | H | 90(70) | 9 | - | 15 | 4 | 18 | -5 | - | - |
| Throw | - | 120 | 11 | - | 2 | 1 | 21 | - | - | - |
| Back + Throw | - | 140 | 5 | - | 2 | 1 | 21 | - | - | - |
| Universal Overhead | H | 40 | 3 | - | 16 ~ 23 | 7 | 7 | -5 ~ 0 | 0 ~ +7 | +1 ~ +8 |
| Taunt | H | 5 | - | - | 31 | 1 | 20 | - | - | - |
| Move | Parry | Damage | Stun | Cancel Ability | Startup | Active | Recover | Frame Adv. Block | Frame Adv. Hit | Frame Adv. Hit Crouching |
Special Moves and Super Arts
| Move | Parry | Damage | Stun | Cancel Ability | Startup | Active | Recover | Frame Adv. Block |
| Sean Roll Light Punch | - | - | - | - | 2 | 16 | 9 | - |
| Sean Roll Medium Punch | - | - | - | - | 2 | 26 | 9 | - |
| Sean Roll Hard Punch | - | - | - | - | 2 | 40 | 9 | - |
| Overhead Turn Kick Light (Ryuubi Kyaku) | H | 120 | 19 | - | 15 | 7 | 15 | -3 |
| Overhead Turn Kick Medium (Ryuubi Kyaku) | H | 120 | 19 | - | 15 | 7 | 15 | -2 |
| Overhead Turn Kick Hard (Ryuubi Kyaku) | H | 120 | 19 | - | 15 | 7 | 15 | -3 |
| Overhead Turn Kick EX (Ryuubi Kyaku) | H | 60+70 | 7+7 | - | 27 | 1*1 | - | - |
| - | H | 70 | 7 | - | - | 1 | 15 | -1 |
| Tornado Light Kick | H | 50+50 | 5+5 | - | 11*5 | 1*1 | 21 | -7 |
| Tornado Medium Kick | H | 50 | 5 | - | 14 | 3 | - | - |
| - | H | 50+50 | 5+5 | - | 7*9 | 1*1 | 21 | -6 |
| Tornado Hard Kick | H | 50 | 5 | - | 16 | 2 | - | - |
| - | H | 40+40+40 | 5+5+5 | - | 9*7*7 | 3*3*1 | 21 | -6 |
| Tornado EX | H | 60 | 9 | - | 9 | 1 | - | - |
| - | H | 40+40+40 | 5+5+5 | - | 9*7*7 | 2*3*1 | 17 | -3 |
| Sean Tackle (All versions) | L | 100+80 | 11+7 | - | 18/22/26 | 1 | 28 | -14 |
| Sean Tackle EX | L | 40x4 | 7x4 | - | 28 | 1 | - | - |
| - | - | 100 | 7 | - | - | - | 28 | -14 |
| Dragon Smash Light Punch | HL | 130(90) | 11 | Su | 5 | 5 | 36 | -24 |
| Dragon Smash Medium Punch | HL | 130(90) | 11 | Su | 7 | 7 | 39 | -30 |
| Dragon Smash Hard Punch | HL | 130(90) | 11 | Su | 9 | 8 | 42 | -34 |
| Dragon Smash EX | HL | 90+90(60) | 11 | Su | 8 | 1*10 | 42 | -37 |
| SA1 — Hadou Bursts | H | 220 | 9 | - | 3 | 1 | 61 | -39 |
| SA2 — Shoryu Cannon | HL | 80+50 | 0 | - | 1 | 1*6 | - | - |
| - | HL | 35+35+40 | 0 | - | 18 | 1*1*1 | - | - |
| - | HL | 40+40+40 | 0 | - | - | 1*1*1 | - | - |
| - | HL | 40+40 | 0 | - | - | 5*5 | 36 | -43 |
| SA3 — Hyper Tornado | HL | 20+40+60 | 0 | - | 2 | 13*4*1 | 53 | -31 |
| - | HL | 60+60+60 | 3+3+3 | - | 7*8*9 | 1*1*1 | - | - |
| - | HL | 60+60 | 3+3 | - | 6*4 | 1*1 | - | - |
| - | HL | 60+60 | 3+0 | - | 6*4 | 1*1 | - | - |
| - | H | 60+100 | 19+3 | - | 10 | 3*4 | 22 | - |
| Move | Parry | Damage | Stun | Cancel Ability | Startup | Active | Recover | Frame Adv. Block |
Strategies
Overview
Sean is not an easy character to use. Aside from a good amount of his moves being punishable and having either a long start-up and/or a long recovery, his jump in combos are very hard to pull off. He needs meter for his safer moves but even then they're still risky, so as such you have to ask yourself: is the opportunity cost at this particular moment worth using his unsafe moves? The first thing should always be to decrease the risk when playing whether using option selects, less whiffs, etc. The second is actually knowing the match up, and what that character can actually do. The third is figuring out how to and what can punish what the opponent does with Sean.
Basics
- Utilize the Cl.MP-HK Target Combo as it is truly safe on block and hit. It even serves nicely as a nice AA as well.
- Cl.HK is your friend.
- Don't be scared to wake up with a EX Dragon Smash (seldom)
- Use St. MK to out-prioritize lows when in the correct range
Super Art Selection
- SA1
- Super Cancel Hit Confirm
- Decent Recovery
- Easy to Parry
- Usage: All purpose SA. Can be used against all characters if you're adept at hit confirms. Many different ways this can be combo'd into as well and does decent damage. Plus it'll eat through lesser projectiles and hit the opponent so that's something to keep in mind. Also can function as a nice anti-air if you place it in the right spot. Meter builds up rapidly so you'll always be stocked with at least 1 at all times. It has a recovery that's longer than it should be though.
- SA2
- Corner Juggles
- Bad recovery
- Usage: The most balanced super that has the most EX and the highest chance of big damage. A highly invincible super (10 frames) that has the highest priority of any SA in the game (save for Gill's Seriphim's Wing) which just might save you in sticky situations. The biggest problem with Shoryu Cannon is the lack of range it has. This super vs Necro/Elena/Chun/Q is very good since if you have 2 stocks, you can juggle them for free in the corner due to their hit-box size. Shoryu Cannon is also a very good chip out option as well.
- SA3
- Big Damage
- Large Meter
- Bad capacity for EX and Super Cancel Moves
- Usage: The Punisher. Hyper Tornado is Sean's strongest and most invincible super (12 frames + 4 for throw invincibility). It has the same confirms that Hadou-Burst does (minus the ones with Dragon Smash) and has almost the same range. The main issues with this super is the length of the meter, how long it takes fill it and the fact that you only get one. The play-style you have to take when using this is calculated, picking the right time when to use this. With a 2 frame start up (one more than Shoryu Cannon), you can punish many things in the game with this since it is very fast. Another thing to note is that you can use this to bypass projectiles that come toward you. Thing is, is that they have to be far away from the projectile or else you're still going to be caught by it and waste the super. Another thing noteworthy about Hyper Tornado: It will beat out Shoryu Cannon.
Kara-Techniques
Sean's best Kara throw is F+HP for his tick throw game while his Cl.HK Kara throw is better for SGGK. You can Kara into his roll from his overhead headbutt but the timing is very strict.
He also has his own Kara DP (like Ken's) where if the opponent jumps high enough he can punish with 2 Dragon Smashes (Very situational but works anywhere on the screen).
Zoning
- Far HP will be the main tool you use to maintain your zone. Use it to smack away any dive kicks/jump-ins that come your way.
- All 3 variations of MP (cr/cl/fr) are very useful to keep the position as well, being that they're all safe on block and hit.
- Don't be afraid to stick a cr.MK on the screen from time to time (just be careful doing so)
- You have a vast assortment of AAs so choose your AA's wisely
Mixups
EX Tornado
EX Tornado can be combo'd depending on the attack and the opponent's current state:
| Akuma, 12 | |||
| Attack/Opponent | Stand HK | Stand HP | Crouch MP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stand Close | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Stand Far | No | Yes | No |
| Crouch Close | Yes | Yes | No |
| Crouch Far | No | No | No |
| Hugo | |||
| Attack/Opponent | Stand HK | Stand HP | Crouch MP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stand Close | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Stand Far | No | Yes | No |
| Crouch Close | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Crouch Far | No | Yes | No |
| Urien, Remy, Dudley | |||
| Attack/Opponent | Stand HK | Stand HP | Crouch MP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stand Close | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Stand Far | Yes | Yes | No |
| Crouch Close | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Crouch Far | No | No | No |
| Oro | |||
| Attack/Opponent | Stand HK | Stand HP | Crouch MP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stand Close | No | Yes | Yes |
| Stand Far | No | No | No |
| Crouch Close | No | Yes | Yes |
| Crouch Far | No | No | No |
| Ibuki, Q, Necro, Alex | |||
| Attack/Opponent | Stand HK | Stand HP | Crouch MP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stand Close | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Stand Far | No | Yes | No |
| Crouch Close | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Crouch Far | No | No | No |
| Chun Li | |||
| Attack/Opponent | Stand HK | Stand HP | Crouch MP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stand Close | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Stand Far | No | Yes | No |
| Crouch Close | No | No | No |
| Crouch Far | No | No | No |
| Yang, Yun, Makoto, Ryu, Ken | |||
| Attack/Opponent | Stand HK | Stand HP | Crouch MP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stand Close | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Stand Far | No | Yes | No |
| Crouch Close | No | Yes | No |
| Crouch Far | No | No | No |
| Sean | |||
| Attack/Opponent | Stand HK | Stand HP | Crouch MP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stand Close | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Stand Far | Yes | Yes | No |
| Crouch Close | No | Yes | No |
| Crouch Far | No | No | No |
| Elena | |||
| Attack/Opponent | Stand HK | Stand HP | Crouch MP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stand Close | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Stand Far | Yes | Yes | No |
| Crouch Close | No | Yes | Yes |
| Crouch Far | No | No | No |
Taken from japan's atwiki
Match-ups
Serious Advantage Match-ups
Sean has no match-ups where he is at a serious advantage
Advantage Match-ups
- Remy
- Elena
- Q
Fair Match-ups
- Remy
- Sean
- Ryu
- Ken
- Oro
- Ibuki
- Twelve
Disadvantage Match-ups
- Yang
- Alex
- Hugo
- Akuma
- Urien
Serious Disadvantage Match-ups
- Yun
- Chun-Li
- Dudley