Introduction

THE 'NOV.

Karnov is Data East's flagship character, and his power is *nearly* unmatched in FHD. His invincible balloon, high damage output, and doable infinites make him a strong contender in this game. He is often thought to be unbeatable, but the more you play him the more you will realize Karnov's weaknesses...

Weak Spot


Frame count	-	2	2	-

Color Options

Punch	Kick

Moves List

Quick Reference

Special move name	Input	Nickname	Note
Fireball	+		fireball
Fire Breath	+		standing / high version
Fire Breath	+		crouching / low version
Super 100-Kick	Charge , +	100-kick
Balloon Attack	(in air) +	balloon	invincible while float
Teleport	Charge , ~ +		glitch, teleports behind the opponent

Normal Moves

Light Punch

Standing LP (Close): activation range = 47

Damage	8	Startup		Recovery
Chain cancel	yes
Special cancel	yes
On hit	+10
On block	+11
Frame count		2	1	1

Typical close jab, but note the frames.

Standing LP (Far):

Damage	8	Startup		Recovery
Chain cancel	yes
Special cancel	yes
On hit	+10
On block	+11
Frame count		2	1	1

Pretty long reach for a jab.

Crouching LP:

Damage	8	Startup		Recovery
Chain cancel	yes
Special cancel	yes
On hit	+10
On block	+11
Frame count		2	1	1

A staple in Karnov's ground game. Great poke, longer range than standing far LP.

Jumping LP (Diagonal/Neutral):

Damage	12	Startup
Chain cancel	yes
Special cancel	yes
Frame count		2	∞

The only chainable air normal, this can also cross up. It allows Karnov to do sick shenanigans with Balloon Attack in the air. It has uniquely faster startup than every other air normal in the game.

Heavy Punch

Standing HP (Close): activation range = 47

Damage	28	Startup				Recovery
Chain cancel	no
Special cancel	yes
On hit	-3
On block	-8
Frame count		4	3	3	(4) 18

Can sometimes be a good anti-air if they're directly above you.

Standing HP (Far):

Damage	30	Startup			Recovery
Chain cancel	no
Special cancel	yes
On hit	+9
On block	+4
Frame count		4	1	(1) 11

An ultra fast hand stab. Comparable with medium punches in SF. Big damage, safe on block, good in combos. Arm becomes vulnerable after active part, but only on 1 frame.

Crouching HP:

Damage	28	Startup			Recovery
Chain cancel	no
Special cancel	yes
On hit	-3
On block	-8
Frame count		4	6	(6) 18

Great anti-air. Stuffs pretty much any jump-in.

Jumping HP (Diagonal):

Damage	30	Startup		Recovery
Chain cancel	no
Special cancel	yes
Frame count		4	12	∞

Good jump-in, stays out for long time.

Jumping HP (Neutral):

Damage	28	Startup		Recovery
Chain cancel	no
Special cancel	yes
Frame count		4	6	∞

The reach below him makes this situationally strong versus regular j.HP, but otherwise this is pretty mediocre.

Light Kick

Standing LK (Close): activation range = 47

Damage	7	Startup		Recovery
Chain cancel	no
Special cancel	yes
On hit	+5
On block	+6
Frame count		2	3	4

Matchup specific attack to target weak spots.

Standing LK (Far):

Damage	7	Startup		Recovery
Chain cancel	no
Special cancel	yes
On hit	+2
On block	+3
Frame count		2	4	6

2px longer than cr.LP and has 3 more active frames, so it's decently useful as a poke. Also a far anti-air in some situations.

Crouching LK:

Damage	7	Startup		Recovery
Chain cancel	no
Special cancel	yes
On hit	+4
On block	+5
Frame count		2	4	4

Karnov has few lows, and this can link into cr.LP to continue combos. Learn to use this.

Jumping LK (Diagonal/Neutral):

Damage	12	Startup
Chain cancel	no
Special cancel	yes
Frame count		4	∞

Butt splash! Awesome crossup tool.

Heavy Kick

Standing HK (Close): activation range = 43

Damage	28	Startup			Recovery
Chain cancel	no
Special cancel	yes
On hit	-3
On block	-8
Frame count		4	6	(6) 18

A high kick. Hits Zazie's standing weak spot.

Standing HK (Far):

Damage	28	Startup		Recovery
Chain cancel	no
Special cancel	yes
On hit	-3
On block	-8
Frame count		6	6	18

Good far anti-air. Use it particularly against far jump-ins instead of cr.HP.

Crouching HK:

Damage	28	Startup			Recovery
Chain cancel	no
Special cancel	yes
On hit	kd
On block	-10
Frame count		4	8	(12) 18

A slide that can be canceled. Fairly slow, but you can catch opponents off guard if used sparingly. It also works as a good anti-air with better range than cr.HP and speed than st.HK if you're timing's on point.

Jumping HK (Diagonal):

Damage	28	Startup		Recovery
Chain cancel	no
Special cancel	yes
Frame count		4	6	∞

Great jump-in that can cross up.

Jumping HK (Neutral)

Damage	28	Startup		Recovery
Chain cancel	no
Special cancel	yes
Frame count		4	6	∞

For what you'd want to do with this move (hit people above you), it has low priority. Not very good.

Throws

Damage	32
Range (From pushbox)	31

Headbutt: / +

Standard throw, gives Karnov ample time for mixups like fireball into teleport.

Special Moves

Fireball: +

Damage	16	Startup		Recovery
On hit	kd
On block	-2
Frame count		11	1	30

A fireball that bounces on the ground and deals fire knockdown on hit. LP version have a lower bounce arc and HP have higher arc. Anyways it can be blocked both high and low. Slightly slow recovery, traverses full screen. Incorporate this into your ground game and be sure to try the slide glitch... Your opponent might have trouble blocking ;)

Fire Breath: + (for standing version) / (for crouching version)

Punch version:

Damage	24	Startup		Recovery
On hit	Light/Heavy kd
On block	Light/Heavy +1*
Frame count	Light	15	3	26
Frame count	Heavy	15	25	26

Kick version:

Damage	24	Startup		Recovery
On hit	Light/Heavy kd
On block	Light/Heavy +1*
Frame count	Light	15	3	26
Frame count	Heavy	15	25	26

*Frame advantage is measured as recovery + 2f of additional lag from active frames

Basically Dhalsim's Yoga Flame. Better up close than Fireball, this attack stays out longer. Karnov also cancells the rest of active frames when the move hits, so don't worry about getting punished. A solid way to help keep an opponent locked down, especially in the corner. Hitbox of kick version is moved a bit further.

Super 100-Kick: Charge , +

Damage	48 total	Startup						Recovery	Landing
On hit	0/+4/kd
On block	-5/-1/+3
Frame count		10	1	3	1	3	1	3	9

Best rushdown special in the game. These rapid-fire kicks are your main combo ender from any chain, and are generally safe on block. Pressed kick button determines how fast Karnov will fly forward, frame data is the same for both versions. From the very first frame Karnov is already in the air and can't be interrupted with low attacks. If used from too far the kicks won't connect properly (it's even possible to hit with only the first hit). This move covers a wide area of weak spots. Especially good to punish crouching opponents.
If only the first two or the second hit connects, you can link cr.LP, st.HP and potentially repeat for the infinite. Easier with the LK version.
This move can also be used to switch sides in the corner, adding further confusion for your opponent as you mix them up.

Balloon Attack: (in air) + (/ to steer while float)

Input note: this move can be done on the ground, after completing the input Karnov will automatically ascend upward.

Damage	28				Landing
On hit	Depends on character height
On block	Depends on character height
Frame count	Light	22	(float) 5	(fall) varies	6
Frame count	Heavy	38	(float) 5	(fall) varies	6

This is the one. Karnov floats in the air while being invulnerable and then falls with an excellent hitbox suitable for cross-ups. Active frames can be easily interrupted into any aerial attack that can be special cancelled into ANOTHER balloon attack. Incredible invincibility, stays out forever. Experiment with this for crossup fun and lock down shenanigans. If you want to play Karnov you will need to be able to effectively use this move. But watch out for aerial throws!

The Basics

Karnov is the final boss of the game, so it's no surprise that he's one of the top tiers. With a great arsenal ranging from bouncing projectiles to invincible overhead attacks, he's an excellent all-arounder. He can switch from aggressive rushdown with his 100-Kicks and Balloon to zoning with Fireball and Fire Breath, as well as play neutral with his good set of normals (albeit keeping his weakspot and effective ranges in mind).

His main downside is his defensive play, with him not having a reversal like Ray's Wheel Kick or Zazie's Hellfire, and his shockingly poor weakspot placement that allows characters like Mizoguchi, Lee, and Zazie to stun him off of one combo as well as deal more damage.

Teleport

Karnov can cheat the game a little and do a glitch with his 100-Kicks special combined with the ↓ + HK slide to teleport to the other end of the screen. The input is: Charge ← (or ↙), LP ~ ↘ + HK. An easier alternative is plinking cr.LP and then cr.HK without letting go of LP: Charge ← (or ↙), ↘ LP ~ HK. It's useful for crossing up with his fireball and getting out of the corner in a pinch. Don't use it too much, as a keen player can punish predictable teleports with a grab or even a full combo.

Gameplan

In almost all cases, Karnov loves it when his opponent is trapped in the corner. All of his aggressive tools are at their best in the corner, including his blockstrings and especially Balloon. The opponent isn’t able to backdash away from your Balloon, forcing them to either block and try to handle your mix, guess the timing and do an invincible reversal (Mizoguchi’s Koryusai, Ray’s Wheel Kick, Zazie’s Hellfire, etc.), or guess the timing and use an anti-air button. Keeping your opponent in the corner is crucial to keep your pressure going, using tools like your Slide xx Fireball blockstring, anti-airing with cr.HP against jumps, and just observing what the opponent does in response to your offense helps you to figure out what to do next.

Balloon mixups are the reason why he loves the corner, as he can be in just about any position you can imagine. He can:

Jump and balloon as he's falling..
Empty jump into cr.LK
Land and switch sides with 100 Kicks / Teleport
so much more..

You don't even need to jump either, as Balloon can be done from the ground. With all of these options and the two different timings for the move, it becomes a very attractive option and the selling point of the character.

If things get too risky for Balloon however (say someone keeps predicting your Balloon timings), you don't have to solely rely on that either. Doing frame traps / blockstrings, keeping them trapped in the corner with Fireball and stuffing reversal attempts with Low Breath, and mostly just anticipating what they want to do next is part of Karnov's game.

Don’t be discouraged if your opponent gets out of the corner, as Karnov could give you multiple opportunities to restart that pressure if you play your cards right. His main strengths is the amount of tools he has to counter the opponent with and, most importantly, his ability to be unpredictable.

Combos

cr.LP x2, st.HP xx hard 100 Kicks

Standard Karnov combo that leads to a knockdown.

cr.LK, cr.LP, st.HP xx 100 Kicks

A combo that starts from a low. Although cr.LK and cr.LP has tight timing, it's crucial to land due to cr.LP not being a low.

cr.LP x3, st.HP xx light 100 Kicks, [cr.LP st.HP xx light 100-Kicks]xN

The most common variant of his infinite. If st.HP isn't hitting the opponent's weakspot (say Mizoguchi), then do st.HK instead for more damage. It's also an incredible blockstring, given that your opponent doesn't take advantage of a small gap to reversal you or grab you if you're too close.

(Start high in the air): HP Balloon, j.HP/j.HK, st.HP xx hard 100 Kicks

The most damaging stun combo outside of his infinite. Shorter characters like Ryoko can make linking Balloon and HP/HK more difficult, but it's overall consistent across the cast.

cr.LP x2/3, cr.HK xx Low Breath

Not a great combo, but one of his crucial blockstrings. Doing three cr.LPs puts you out of range of Wheel Kick, and you can also mix it up by doing Fireball / High Breath instead of Low Breath.

Combos (New Layout WIP)

j. indicates the jumping variant of a move
f. indicates the far variant of a move
cl. indicates the close variant of a move
, indicates a link
> indicates a cancel
/ indicates an alternative move
(xN) indicates to repeat the move N number of times

Combos
Combo	Position	Damage	Notes	Video
[1]A (x3), [4]B > 6D	Anywhere	84	Standard Karnov BnB, requires charge. Against Lee, you want to do one less 1A.	WIP

Advanced Strategy

The details outlined here range from niche to pretty useful, but I believe that all of this can and will be useful for any Karnov player if the situation demands it.

Chaining / "swapping" air normals

Karnov can take advantage of the property of his jumping LP being the only chain cancellable air normal in the game in a variety of ways, as it allows for Karnov to always have a hitbox out while he's in the air and he can swap it out for a different normal! This is typically to throw off an opponent that doesn't fully realize your effective range or to mess up their air punishes.

When it comes to these options, you can always swap to HP for extra horizontal coverage to punish a fireball coming your way or a HK as an air poke that gives him that extra vertical range his other normals don't have. LK is also decent as a cross-up tool. The one weakness with this strategy is that Karnov can't use Balloon if you already pressed a button, so use this sparingly as it limits your best option in the air.

An oddity with this strategy is that when done from a neutral jump, the chained heavy will a diagonal heavy and not a neutral heavy. This can be a good way to give Karnov more range with either of his heavies, but this has little use cases.

Player 1 100 Kicks corner crossup

If you're playing a match as Player 1, you can hit cornered opponents from behind and in some cases even start a combo. Here is how you go about doing it:

1: Do your regular combo and knock them down in the corner

2: Wait until they reach a certain point during their wakeup

3: Do 100 Kicks as they're getting ready to be actionable

4: Success! You're slightly behind them and your 2nd 100 Kick hitbox hits their back side

With good execution, you can lead into another combo by inputting any of your low lights (cr.LP is the most common and preferred) after you've recovered from your special. There is a catch, however, as this strategy is matchup dependent.

If you are fighting a character with a big body, this will not lead into a combo and the 3rd hit of 100 Kicks will knock down. The big bodies are Mizoguchi, Zazie, and Marstorious.

Here is a visual of how this is pulled off.

Match-ups

Numbers are listed as P1/P2, showing how good the matchup is for whenever Karnov's on that side. For more info on side differences, go here.

Due to this, .5 has been added to matchups to show the side differences. The effects don't completely change the matchups, but add more nuances like new punishes and capabilities.

Ray

Lee

Zazie

Karnov

Jean

Mizo

Sam

Yung

Matlk

Clown

Feilin

Mars

Ryoko

Karnov

4/4.5

4.5/5

5/5.5

5.5/6

4.5/5.5

6.5/7

5.5/6

7/7.5

6.5/7

6/6.5

6.5/7

Vs. Clown:

Advantage

Karnov had some advantages but try to escape of Overhead Stand with a Slide or 100 Rush Kicks,

Vs. Jean:

Slight Advantage

Jean is one of those cases where Karnov's dominance isn't the air isn't as prevalent in the matchup. Jean has a lot of tools to counter Karnov's Balloon and other air approaches: Flash Kick, solid anti-air buttons like cr.HP, cr.HK, st.HP, and Jean is one of three characters that has an air throw that completely counters Balloon. It's clear that Jean has the means to get over your jumping attacks and Balloon, so that means that Karnov wants to be on the ground.

Being on the ground is also an issue as well because Bal Rose is a really good projectile, and sometimes Karnov's bouncing fireball tends to miss Rose if you're trying to hit it up-close and you end up getting hit anyways. With this problem of zoning, it's clear that you want to play more hit-and-run. Either wait for Jean to jump at you, as he has a relatively floaty jump, or you can jump at Jean while he's trying to throw Bal Rose.

Karnov wants to get the most out of his up-close interactions with Jean, trying to melt his health bar and weakspot immediately with a standard combo starting with cr.LP. Breaking Jean's defenses through stunning him is Karnov's primary goal, and he has plenty of ways to do that. He has fast buttons like cr.LP and far LK that can lead into a 100-Kicks ender that should hit his spot twice. Karnov also has Low Breath, a typically underused and risky move to throw out, to both nullify Bal Rose and to hit Jean's weakspot as a long-range poke. Karnov is at an advantage when in the corner, as Jean can't do much if Karnov's out of range of Flash Kick. You can anticipate a jump-in and anti-air him according to what button he uses, or throw HP Fireballs to keep him from moving and Flash Kicking.

Low Breath is risky for a reason, as overuse of the move can motivate Jean to jump-in and instantly take you out with a Hands Glitch combo thanks to the move having high recovery if whiffed. As such, Karnov should use Low Breath on reaction to any Bal Roses or as a way to stuff reversals from mid-range.

If you have no openings and you have the health lead, there's no reason to approach him due to his incredibly strong punish game with Hands. Keep zoning him with Hard Fireball or Low Breath, and hold your ground again Jean's j.LK (a good cross-up button) or j.HK (a long-range button that can trump attempts at anti-airing j.LK). Karnov's keepaway is okay enough to make Jean want to do something, so you're generally in control whenever you've made your big push against him with a combo or weakspot pop.

If you're in a combo against Jean, NEVER CROUCH. Crouching Karnov gives Jean more repetitions for his Hands combo, and standing will help you in the long run.

Vs. Ryoko:

Advantage

Vs. Karnov (self):

Mirror

Vs. Lee:

Even

The two big issues that you're going to run into as Karnov against Lee is his Super Dagger Punch and his knees weakspot. Super Dagger Punch gives Lee insane mobility and changes the matchup from an easier zoning game to being a game of chicken, and his knees weakspot makes Karnov's combo and stun game weaker than he would be against other characters. The only moves that can hit Lee's weakspot consistently is the last hit of 100 Kicks and his cr.HK slide.

Lee's ground game is insane so you could try to stall in the air to catch any Super Dagger Punches or any other approaches, but you need to watch out for his DP. Mitigating this is as simple as just not pressing any buttons until you're close to him or using Balloon if you suspect he's going to try to anti-air. Lee's j.LP is also the best air-to-air in this game so you need to keep that in mind as well. If you're cornered against him, try not to poke when you don't have to because he can pop your weakspot instantly. After chipping you with Dragon Palm, it's likely that Lee is going to use Rekka afterwards, so you can Light Balloon to catch it but this is predictable. Try to teleport or get him into one of your blockstrings to get your momentum back. On Player 1 side Lee can snipe you from behind with a Hard Rekka Punch, which makes dealing with him while in the corner much more difficult. Try to get out of the corner if you can.

A crucial tidbit is that your cr.LP(x2/3) cr.HK xx Hard Fireball blockstring gives you a trade, or sometimes a clean hit, against Lee's DP if they're trying to punish typical 100 Kicks strings. This gives you a good defensive profile and keeps Lee from going buck-wild if you're up close. Another crucial tidbit is that your infinite isn't as consistent on Lee as with the other cast, so you should opt for the standard Hard 100 Kicks ender unless you know what you're doing.

Vs. Feilin:

Advantage

Vs. Yungmie:

Slight Advantage

Vs. Marstorius:

Advantage

Like with the rest of the cast, Karnov can keep Marstorius away with zoning when using fireballs and well-timed anti-airs like st.HK and cr.HP. The important detail is to not allow him to get close with a stray Dash Lariat or Drill Power Slam, otherwise you're in a difficult spot in having to deal with his endless mixups. If he does have significant lifelead and is at full-screen, he can just turtle you until the time runs out because fireball zoning isn't going to do enough damage and the risk of Double German is high for Karnov's typical offense. Overall, a good matchup for Karnov but you need to be aware of his power up-close.

Vs. Matlok:

Advantage

Vs. Mizoguchi:

Even

Vs. Ray:

Disadvantage

The main thing that you need to consider is to tone down your offense a little bit whenever you're faced with Ray's zoning. Use your own fireballs, neutral jump, and read any mid-screen fireballs with early jumping HP. Doing jumping HP just as you're falling from your forward jump allows you to hit Ray's hands nearly every time, and you can combo into 100 Kicks afterwards! If the Ray player doesn't know the matchup and is relying on fundamentals, teleporting behind them as a read against fireball allows you to get a free combo and start your mixups. Don't be afraid to play lame if you have the lifelead, as Ray would need to come at you with slightly inferior offense with either a jump-in or with any of the Tackles. Using Balloon in neutral is okay, but Ray does have an option select by doing two wheel kicks to cover both Balloon versions so Balloon usage is more limited than you'd probably be used to.

If Ray decides to use Wheel Kick more while you're on the ground, you need to be prepared for it. A whiffed LK Wheel Kick can be punished with a precise cr.LP to start a combo, and blocking the move standing also gives this result. An easy way to get around whiff Light Tackle into throw is to use your cr.HK slide to punish the Tackle but keep in mind its safety, you could theoretically use cr.LP or LK to challenge the Tackle but slide requires minimal timing. Be careful of Ray's Electric Tackle hitting behind you when waking up in the corner because that gives Ray a free hit and could finish you off at low health, block this cross-up by holding forward.

In regards to weakspots, Ray's crouching state is one of the best positions for weakspot in the game which affects your plan to stun him. Using LK to punish incoming Tackle and close LK as a combo starter or blockstring button can help wear down Ray's weakpoint. Karnov's weakspot also comes into play against Ray's offense, as the famous strategy of remaining standing while getting hit by Ray's Electric Tackle helps to prevent you from getting instantly stunned.

Vs. Samchay:

Advantage

Basically diet Ray. He doesn't really have good ways to contest your offense except with both of his knee specials (Ti Kau Koon and Ti Kau Loi) and his weakspot really hold him back from trying to retaliate or play neutral. Even though his fireball travels surprisingly fast, your Hard Fireball can easily nullify it in a fireball war.

His anti-air offerings are poultry: Crouching HP realistically isn't active enough to be an anti-air and his arm is wide open, and other decent anti-airs like Standing Heavies, Crouching HK, and Ti Kau Koon only hits against far jump-ins. An expert Samchay will use Ti Kau Loi when given the chance, while it has an odd motion input it is a very good anti-air and reversal. The light version (and the preferred version) is somewhat unsafe, so you can maybe punish this move with 100 Kicks but I haven't tested this.

The main knowledge check has to do with his Ti Kau Koon special which seems super safe and spammable, but it's weak to throws if he's up-close during recovery. Ti Kau Koon also has the potential to hurt Karnov's weakspot badly, so Sam actually has some heat with his combos. If you keep your offense up and mind Samchay's low crush, you'll deal with him easily.