SvC Chaos: SNK Vs Capcom/Iori Yagami

Overview

Combos

Matchups

Strategy

Misc.

八神 庵, Yagami Iori
Category	Normal
Playstyle	Rushdown
Difficulty	Simple/Easy
Max Mode Needed?	Up to you, but it helps
Tier Placement	Solid (B+)
Standing Hitbox	?
Crouching Hitbox	Short
Defense Modifier	223
Wall Jump	No

Introduction

Iori Yagami, one of the most popular characters in the KOF series and SNK characters in general, and infamously one of the strongest characters in several KOF releases. Here, he's basically a copy and paste of his KOF2002 iteration, so he still holds up quite well, however due to the system changes he does suffer a bit. Most notably, no hops, no running, and no manual Max Mode activation leaves his rushdown pressure to not be quite as good. Plus, he feels a tad slower. But if you play Iori in KOF, even if just a little, you already have enough know-how to play him in this game. After all, it's Iori - he almost never changes. Even if you prefer his Orochi form, it's still recommended to play normal Iori first just to get a hang of how Iori feels in SVC.

Strengths

Weaknesses

Good movement and damage: Packing above average movement speeds and movement tools like his j.4B, Iori can comfortably move around in matches with little issue all the while keep up in neutral with good pokes and simple combos, too. Keep in mind his movement speed is very slightly slower than characters like Kyo or Ryu, but it rarely matters, if ever. Great buttons in general: Between sweep, his command normals, all of his lights, the jump buttons, and so on, none of Iori's attacks are lacking good hitboxes and often contain good frame data, too. All of his buttons are good for something, and with few downsides to each of them that he plays neutral comfortably thanks to them. Capable of both zoning and rushdown: Though only a simple fireball, it's a grounded fireball which helps give him a slight advantage in some matchups that can't easily circumvent grounded fireballs. Plus, his buttons are decent midrange poking attacks. The rest of his kit excels at emphasizing Iori as one of the better rushdown characters in the game. Command grab for mixups and combo extensions: Even against the worst matchups, Iori can rely on his command grab which not only opens up the opponent, but gives him a combo starter too, one that's easy to combo with. Unlike other games, he is unable to cancel his st.C, limiting some of his combo flexibility. He also swaps sides with the opponent as a trade-off, but isn't always a big downside depending on the circumstances, either. Plus, it has really good range to compensate for its slower startup. Taco gives him easy cross up combos: Iori's famous j.4B, used both as a backdash attack and as a cross-up button, is a pre-canned mixup but one with a big hitbox, high frame advantage after connecting and offers easy to utilize mixups on wakeup. It's safe pressure even with front step, and when used right can be harder to react to. The only downside is the lack of hops in the game. Max Mode is very useful but not necessary: Iori's complete as a character and packs many already rewarding and easy to use combos that don't require using Max Mode while still keeping up with most of the roster in terms of damage. This also makes his meter management easier to put up with overall if you can keep the life lead as he requires less meter as a result. And if you dash input your front steps, you'll always make more than enough meter back to restore the meter spent using it. Level 1 super has a free followup for free damage: Maiden Masher's follow-up from KOF2002 was added, but likely due to the rushed development, costs no meter. There's no reason not to use it, either. It really is free damage, albeit only a small chunk. Easy to master: Not only that, but he's also great for learning both SVC and KOF. One of the easiest characters to pick up in both games, he's pretty self-explanatory and perhaps most importantly, will help teach good spacing and simple but rewarding front step punishes, even meterless.

Useful, but really slow overhead: One of the slowest overheads in the game, it doesn't help much to open up opponents and is easy to react to. It's more useful now since he lacks hops, but is still risky to use. Iffy backdash without j.4B: Iori's default backdash isn't too good for escaping or movement in general, which leaves you to using j.4B for the added distance, if you can afford to travel fullscreen and risk losing some space control. Overall unsafe with what he does: While his frame advantages aren't awful per se, tools like his sweep and rekkas, or even his far buttons, become unsafe due to front step being a factor. Just like Kyo, he is meter hungry...: Both his supers are essential for giving him optimal damage as he doesn't have the missing KOF mechanics to rely on. Maiden Masher is in general a solid super, and though his 236 x2 K super isn't as good, still has some good utility to it. ...But Max Mode optimizes his damage anyways: Again, you don't need Max Mode as Iori. But when you do use it, you'll notice a pretty big damage difference that makes it more comfortable for him to fight against the top tiers by having to dish out fewer punishes and combos thanks to it. Exceed is a counter: Iori, being a rushdown character, has no need for a counter focused super. While it's the better of the two counter Exceeds in the game, you have to go out of your way to use it when it lacks any other utility other than being a different defense option other than his DP. Is not as strong at rushdown in this game compared to KOF: Besides slightly reduced frame advantages and the risk of front step punishes, the lack of hops, running, rolls, and other KOF mechanics that are absent in SVC bogs him down. What's worse is he wasn't designed around the SVC system either, but instead just copy and pasted from KOF2002. Most of his flaws boil down to being in SVC Chaos: Iori is a case of a good character in a game system that doesn't suit him. Or more specifically, the lack of hops, run and other KOF movement options, inability to utilize Max Mode whenever, and a few other points, Iori really doesn't get much to take advantage of the system to the fullest. He still puts up a solid fight, but his overall gameplay is hampered by the pace of SVC.

SVC Chaos: SNK VS Capcom Frame Data Glossary
Damage	How much damage the attack does. This takes into account no defense modifiers, so the damage assumes a 0% damage modifier, or in other words the average defense modifier of 223 against characters like Kyo and Ryu. Note: Damage is a little inconsistent. Example: Geese cl.A deals 5 damage. Against Zero, sometimes it does 5 pixels of damage to his life bar, other times it does 4 pixels. Against Ryu, cl.A does 4 pixels of damage, other times it does 3 pixels of damage. This info comes from the Enterbrain Mook, but most likely this is the cause of damage modifiers skewing the damage slightly, thus making it a bit inconsistent. Damage values listed are pulled from the SVC Chaos Enterbrain Mook, save Athena, Red Arremer, Serious Mr. Karate and Shin Akuma. It is listed because it's an official source for this info, just keep in mind damage is not 1-to-1 due to varying health values and screwy ways the game calculates damage anyways. There will be a question mark next to the four mentioned characters because it's only a guess as to what the actual damage values are (until health and damage are better understood), since they were never gathered in the Mook. Unfortunately, when doing attacks, the numbers dealt in damage do not match up with the mook. As an example, Geese's cl.C does 16 damage according to the mook, but against characters like Zero, it only does 14-15 damage, and very rarely it does 16 damage. Against Ryu, it does 12-13 damage at most. But against Orochi Iori, it also does 14-15 damage, and very rarely it does 16 damage. The mook does not explain how the numbers are obtained either, or against who they're tested against, if anyone. In other words, how these numbers were obtained if not through data mining is a mystery in itself, but it can be best assumed it was against 255 defense modifier characters, and at the max damage possible. Lastly, moves like Geese cl.D, though it says 10x2 for the damage, which is true, damage scaling reduces total damage on the second hit. Max Mode also reduces damage dealt by roughly half at most.
Counter Damage	How much damage the attack does on a counter hit, or when it connects with an opponent while they're performing an attack. Counter damage values listed are pulled from the SVC Chaos Enterbrain Mook, save Athena, Red Arremer, Serious Mr. Karate and Shin Akuma.
Guard	Where the attack hits, and thus where it must be blocked. Mids can be blocked standing and crouching Overheads must be blocked standing Lows must be blocked crouching Unblockable cannot be blocked Throws break through block up-close
Guard Crush	How much guard meter damage the attack does to the green Guard Gauge.
Stun	How many points of stun the attack adds to the opponent's invisible Stun Gauge.
Meter	How much meter is gained for performing/landing the attack. Special moves earn meter both when activated and when they connect with the opponent, whether it hits them or they block it.
Cancel	The type of cancel the attack can perform. Any - All cancel types work Ch - Chain cancel; it can chain into other attacks (mostly just lights) Self - Can chain only into itself Cmd - Command cancel; can cancel into command normals Sp - Special cancel; can cancel into special moves, and almost always this means super cancels are possible too Su - Super cancel; can cancel into super moves Free - Free cancel; can be cancelled in Max Mode by other special moves or super moves Written only for special moves as all normals can be Free Cancelled, so writing it in for every move would be redundant X - Cannot be cancelled, either outside of Max Mode or that it cannot be cancelled at all
Startup	How many frames it takes before the move becomes 'active' or has a hitbox. The SVC Chaos wiki uses classic startup notation, which does not include the first active frame. A move with 3 startup becomes active on frame 4. Super and Exceed startup will calculate both the frames before and after the super flash animation as such: X+Y, with X being the startup frames before the flash animation and Y being the startup frames after the flash animation. The startup will not take into account the frames of the flash animation itself where time freezes and the opponent player cannot act. Super flashes last 28 frames, whereas Exceed flashes last 27 frames. Because there is currently no way to view throw boxes, it is assumed that throws/command grabs are at most 0-1 frames of startup. Truthfully, we don't actually know though.
Active	How many frames a move remains active (can hurt opponents) for. Consecutive sets of active frames on a multi-hit move are separated by a comma. (Example: 3, 4 - The attack has its first hitbox for 3 frames, then the second hitbox for 4 frames) If there is a gap between sets of active frames, the gap is denoted by a number in parentheses. (Example: 3, (2), 4 - The attack is active for 3 frames, then is not active for the next two frames, followed by being active again for 4 frames.) Throw boxes are not visible either through dipswitches or the hitbox viewer so it's only a guess how active throws and command grabs are, but it's probably one active frame at most. This also applies to hitbox images - they will still show the push and hurtboxes of characters but outside of that, unfortunately there is no way to depict the throw boxes at the moment.
Recovery	How many frames it takes for a move to finish after it's been active.
Total	The total number of frames the attack lasts on screen for. This adds up the startup, active, and recovery frames into one number.
Hit/Block Adv	These are frame advantage values when the attack hits or is blocked. If the number is positive, then the move will end before the defender can act again. If the number is negative, the defender will be able to act before the attacker and maybe even punish. SKD refers to a soft knockdown, or a knockdown you can tech roll out of. HKD refers to a hard knockdown, one that you cannot tech roll out of. All frame advantages assume Ryu as the opponent. If there are variable wakeup times, it is currently unknown info. Also assume that on soft knockdowns, the frame advantage is when the opponent does not tech roll. If needed, a second frame advantage will be added next to it for when they do tech roll. Frame advantages of projectiles assumes the opponent is point blank range. Any farther and this obviously changes and/or doesn't matter. Block advantage assumes no use of Guard Cancel Front Step. For one, it obviously decreases the attacker's frame advantage significantly. When the defender uses GCFS is also a variable factor so you cannot provide a hard answer as to what the frame advantage is after GCFS, as well as how soon they cancel GCFS into an attack. Generally speaking, just assume the block advantage minus the active frames of GCFS (18 frames), and that's a rough estimate of the frame advantage when GCFS is performed. Do keep in mind that GCFS technically has a slight delay when the dash is performed even if you register the input as early as possible. This doesn't really matter in most cases, since the attacker will automatically be quite minus after most attacks. It would only matter in situations where the attacker can punish GCFS attempts like with throws or multi-hit attacks, but even then, that's because the attacker canceled the blocked attack into another attack that the frame advantage of the blocked attack after GCFS no longer matters in that situation. All that matters, then, is the attack is cancelable at all.
Invulnerability	Indicates whether there's any frames of invulnerability during the attack.

Move List

Normal Moves

Close Normals

cl.A

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
5	6	Mid	5	5	-	-	6	4	5	15	+3	+1	-
Just a Light Attack chain starter, but not the best one. Can chain into itself and other Light Attacks. Can be normal canceled too.

cl.B

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
5	6	Low	5	5	-	-	6	3	5	14	+4	+2	-
Cancelable move that hits low. Important for mixup games, and it's Iori's main Light Attack chain ender, Can't chain into other Light Attacks, sadly. Interestingly enough, you can link a cl.C after this move(And you can cancel it, leading for combos).

cl.C

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
21	30	Mid	16	20	-	-	3	2, 5	14	24	-1	-3	-
Important move for his combos, but use it if you need damage.

cl.D

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
21	30	Mid	16	20	-	-	6	6	13	25	+1	-1	-
Not that useful as a normal. Can't be normal canceled, but can catch your opponent if he jumps.

Far Normals

st.A

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
6	7	Mid	6	6	-	-	7	3	3	13	+6	+4	-
Good as a poke, and only that, because it can't be normal canceled. I think it can chain into itself on certain characters.

st.B

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
7	8	Mid	7	7	-	-	7	4	7	18	+1	-1	-
Use it as a poke. It has better reach than the Far move above too. Cannot be normal canceled.

st.C

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
21	30	Mid	16	20	-	-	8	3	20	31	-3	-5	-
Just a fast scratch, cannot be normal canceled.

st.D

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
21	30	Mid	16	20	-	-	11	8	20	39	-8	-10	-
Has the best reach on his Far normals. It's unsafe on block, your opponent can easily do a GCF and punish you after it.

Crouch Normals

cr.A

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
5	6	Mid	5	5	-	-	6	4	7	17	+1	-1	-
A simple punch that is useful for his Light Attack chains. Can chain into itself, and the other Light Attacks.

cr.B

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
5	6	Low	5	5	-	-	6	5	5	16	+2	+0	-
Another Light Attack chain starter. It hits low, can chain into all of the other Light Attacks, but can't be normal cancelled. This is your go-to light starter for starting low hitting combos, and in some cases cl.B as well.

cr.C

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
17	18	Mid	16	16	-	-	8	5	16	29	-1	-3	-
Anti-air, and an attack for combos. The timing to combo it after a jumping attack is a little different, so just use it if you need to punish the opponent for approaching you. You're better off using cl.C for combos but as an anti-air, it's a decent button.

cr.D

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
21	30	Low	16	16	-	-	6	6	31	43	SKD	-19	-
The classic Iori sweep with nice reach and damage that can't be normal cancelled. Iori will move a little forward during the move. Not the longest reaching sweep in the game, but it makes for a good mixup or far reaching poke. It's more dangerous now that Front Step is a factor, so be particularly wary.

Jumping Normals

(n)j.A

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
6	7	Overhead	6	6	-	-	4	9	-	-	-	-	-
Neutral/Diagonal Jumping Attack Basic jump punch. Can be better used as an air-to-air as it stays out for a decent time.

(n)j.B

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
7	8	Overhead	7	7	-	-	5	7	-	-	-	-	-
Neutral/Diagonal Jumping Attack Another air-to-air, but this one has better reach and with a horizontal angle. Stays out slightly less than j.A but makes a good fast air-to-air to interrupt the opponent with.

(n)j.C

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
21	30	Overhead	16	20	-	-	9	3	-	-	-	-	-
Neutral/Diagonal Jumping Attack A good jump-in attack for combos and a decent air-to-air if timed well. j.D has more reach for less startup, and you may find that easier to use for jump-ins instead, but j.C is still pretty decent for what it is.

(n)j.D

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
21	30	Overhead	16	20	-	-	6	3, 2	-	-	-	-	-
Neutral/Diagonal Jumping Attack Another jump-in for combos, but can be used as an air-to-air too. Possible for Iori to whiff the attack if timed poorly, but is active for slightly longer than j.C and may be easier to time as a jump-in for you. As an air-to-air it's like j.B but not as active. j.B is leass risky by staying out longer whereas j.D covers slightly more area.

Command Normals

Geshiki: Yumebiki
f.A > A

Version	Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
f.A	14(10)	18(13)	Mid	11(7)	16(10)	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
A scratch with the same animation as his f.C. Can't be normal canceled, but it's very useful on Max Mode combos.
Version	Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
f.A > [A]	14(10)	18(13)	Mid	11(7)	16(10)	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
This followup is a little strange... It can be normal canceled, but the timing to make it hit needs to be perfect. This one is useful on some normal mode combos.

Geshiki: Goufu In ~Shinigame~
f.B

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
14(10)	18(13)	Mid	11(7)	14(10)	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Just a slow overhead that can't be normal canceled, but it loses this properties if canceled into(It won't act as an overhead, and can be normal canceled. Oh, it will continue being slow too). It can't combo after a normal too, so... Just use it like an overhead(I think you can do Max Mode combos beginning with it).

Geshiki: Yuri Ori
j.4B

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
10	14	Mid	7	10	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
This one is important. Very important, I can assume. If you used him on KoF 2002, you'll most likely know what this move can do. If not, just use it in the air and try to see what it can do. Huh? You haven't got a hit? Try to crossup with it, and land a combo, to see what it can do. Just hold the button to the direction Iori is facing, and press the B button when you're on your opponent's back. This move can be used after a backdash too, which will make you dash longer(Useful if you need to run away when the timer is reaching zero).

Throws

Throw

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
24	24	Throw	0	0	0	X	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

Throw

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
24	24	Throw	0	0	0	X	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

Guard Cancel Blowback
on Block

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
0	0	Mid	0	0	0	X	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

Special Moves

108 Shiki: Yamibarai
qcf P

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
16	20	Mid	11	8	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Iori's basic ground projectile. You won't need this so much on combos, but you can use it as a meaty, or if you need to negate other projectiles. The button pressed will determine the speed of the projectile.

100 Shiki: Oniyaki
dp P

Version	Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
dp A	20	20	Mid	11	8	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
This DP-like move has many uses! It can be used as an anti-air(Better with the A version), or on combos, because it can be max canceled(Use the C version for that, it does 3 hits too).
Version	Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
dp C	16x3	20	Mid	11x3	8x3	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

311 Shiki: Tsumagushi
dp K

Version	Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
dp B	22	26	Mid	16	0	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Version	Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
dp D	24	28	Mid	16	0	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
This is an interesting move for Iori. The button pressed determines the distance Iori will move. If you need to punish your opponent's projectiles, use this(While Iori's in the air, he gains autoguard hitboxes). For the hit, nothing special about it, but you max cancel it(That means, you can punish projectiles with a combo in Max Mode).

127 Shiki: Aoi Hana
qcb A x3

Version	Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
1st Rekka	11	13	Mid	2	8	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Version	Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
2nd Rekka	11	13	Mid	4	8	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Version	Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
3rd Rekka	13	16	Mid	6	11	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

127 Shiki: Aoi Hana
qcb C x3

Version	Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
1st Rekka	11	13	Mid	2	8	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Version	Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
2nd Rekka	11	13	Mid	4	8	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Version	Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
3rd Rekka	13	16	Mid	6	11	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Probably Iori's most classic move. This Rekka move is very good on punish situations, and you can do good combos in normal mode with it. If you need, you can delay the hits(If the first one was blocked, you can delay the second one to make it hit). The button pressed will determine the speed of the punches(You can't change between the versions while doing the inputs). The 1st hit will let your opponent on the ground(It has some good combos on Max Mode involving this hit). The 2nd hit will send your opponent in the air(That means, you can juggle after in Max Mode). The 3rd hit will act as an overhead on each version, but is very unsafe no block(No Max Mode combos with it). Combo the A version from the Light Attacks(The most used, Light Attack Chains rule), and the C version from the Heavy Attacks(Most damaging, better for punish situations). Any hit can be max canceled too, leading for nice combos.

212 Shiki: Kototsuki In
hcb K

Version	Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
hcb B	11+0+14	11, 0, 14	Mid	0	0	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
This is another classic move. Iori dashes and grabs the opponent, but it's blockable(And very unsafe on block). You can use this on combos, or as an option to dash while your opponent is knocked down.
Version	Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
hcb D	11+0+14	11, 0, 14	Mid	0	0	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

Kuzukaze
hcb~f P

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
0	0	Mid	0	0	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
This is a great grab(It's unblockable this time). It doesn't do damage, but you can followup with almost anything after it(The easiest followup is Iori's Rekka move). Iori will move a little forward during the grab. I think you can dash and followup with a combo, like on KoF 2002(But in there, you had a run, not a dash). Dunno if you can cancel a normal into it, but I think you could on KoF.

Super Moves

Kin 1211 Shiki: Yaotome
qcf~hcb P

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
0+(1x7)+32	0, 1, 32	Mid	0	0	0	X	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Classic move. Mainly used on combos. When this move connects , Iori will do a series of attacks, ending with a grab, and an explosion. During the dash, Iori can pass under some projectiles(Like Sagat's High Tiger). Use this on combos only, because it's very unsafe on block.

Ura 306 Shiki: Saika
qcf x4 AC

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
(1x6)+14	1, 14	X	0	0	0	X	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Follow-up only possible after Iori's ranbu super (the one listed above). If you played KoF after the 2001 edition, you'll be familiar with this followup. It's better if you learn this, because it's free damage on your opponent(I mean, you won't lose meter). Iori will slash, and after it, a flame pillar will knock your opponent down. Always try to execute it(Again, it's free damage), but it's a little hard to connect with it(For me it was, but on KoF it was very easy, I can assume).

Ura 311 Shiki: Saku Tsumagushi
qcf x2 K

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
0+(32x7)	0, 32	Overhead	0	0	0	X	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Remember that special move to punish projectiles? It's a super version of it. Iori yells "Ikuzo!"(Means "Let's go!"), and grabs the opponent if it connects. It will be an overhead on each version, and does decent damage. The B version will make Iori does a (almost) fullscreen jump, and the D version will make him do a fullscreen jump.

Exceed

Chi no Bousou

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
29x4	29	Mid	0	0	0	X	1+1	63	13	78	HKD (+6)	X	1F~2F (startup), 3F~19F (Full body invul during active), 20F~65F (Upper body invul above knees)
Iori's counter Exceed, where he turns into his Orochi form and poses by bending over. If something hit him, he will do nice damage on his opponent. Can be interrupted with grounded or large projectiles and grabs Active for an unusually long time, but with only some recovery. The exact moment Iori enters the recovery phase is visually unclear until later on in the animation, so you will need to practice waiting it out if you're aiming to do a full combo punish. A very counterintuitive super to Iori's kit. Iori, a rushdown character, has zero other tools that involve counters or playing defensively beyond fireball, and is a very aggressive character that prefers not playing defense when he doesn't need to. When it does connect, it's enough to drain an entire life bar, on top of giving Iori some oki to work with. Plus, it starts up almost instantly, so it is possible to make situationally good use out of it. You will catch a few wins with the Exceed, whether out of people unaware of how active it is, or experienced players getting caught by it regardless thinking the active frames ended, but it should not be relied upon. Not a garbage Exceed, but arguably one of the worst in the game for how anti-synergistic it is. Ironically, Iori's counter Exceed is better than Kasumi's counter Exceed in every regard except the plus advantage on HKD.

Strategy

Basic Strategy

Iori's gameplan

Iori is a damage-based character(That means, he is fully offensive). What do you need to do? Damage(With his easy combos), crossup combos(You know how, and the crossup ones are easy to land), mixups(You have a slow overhead and a standing low-hitting move for that), anti-airs(DP is the best one for that), meaty projectiles(Free damage is still damage) and things like that(If you're doing damage, you're okay). If you need to punish, do it with a damaging combo(Especially if you use his dash super with the followup, or in case you're in Max Mode, cancel if you punished a projectile), that's how Iori works. If you're a KoF 2002 player, of course, you can use his strategies from there, but I can't say that they will work(In that game, we had short hops, which helped on Iori's offensive game). Well, that's it, be offensive, and good luck in your future games.

Combos

SVC Chaos: SNK VS Capcom Quick Combo Notation Guide

cl. = close normal st. = standing/far normal cr. = crouching normal f.; etc. = forward direction (NOT far) X = any button CH = counter hit , = Used to separate attacks in the combo / = Separates different options for the combo (mainly different starters or enders that are possible) Unless otherwise stated (such as it's a link or you need to delay the attack), assume this is a chain/cancel. Example: cr.B, cr.A, dp A ; cr.B chains into cr.A, then cr.A cancels into dp A [b]~f = Indicates to charge back (or downback), then press forwards for the given special move ( ) = Parentheses used to indicate the attack(s) within the parentheses are optional to add to the combo (C) = Indicates a free cancel, aka a cancel only possible in Max Mode (SC) = Indicates a super cancel via free canceling in Max Mode (1) = Used to indicate how many hits of the attack should connect (or less than) before continuing with the combo Example: cl.C(1), hcb P means that only one hit of cl.C should be performed before moving on to do hcb P, not more than one hit [ ] = Used to distinguish combo loops or combo starters/etc. in case a certain attack is only possible after specific options xN = Repeat the given loop for as many times as either possible or as many times as you wish May change to numpad notation much later down the road.

Starters

Starters

Combo	Position	Damage	Stun	Difficulty	Notes
cl.B, cl.C	TBA	TBA	TBA	TBA	Iori's link and potential starter. You can learn it if you want since it's the best followup for his crossup command normal in a combo. You can also land it on a front facing opponent, but it also suffers from inconsistency issues. Iori needs to be close enough to land the cl.B to begin with, and then link cl.C right away which more likely results in Iori getting st.C instead. There's also the likelihood that Iori gets cl.C but the opponent is pushed too far back on front hit resulting in a whiffed cl.C instead. As with almost any link in KOF in general, you DON'T need it. It's a pretty tight link, so it's better to just ignore it and go for his more consistent options as you lose almost nothing. The pushback on cl.B makes it easy to drop.
cr.B x1-2, cr.A, (f.A)	TBA	TBA	TBA	TBA	Consistent low hitting light starter. Chaining cr.B into cr.A takes some practice but it's easy to learn, and something you should prioritize learning if you're playing Iori in any capacity. Omit f.A unless you're comboing into super, since f.A is only super cancellable.
cl.B, f.A~A	TBA	TBA	TBA	TBA	Another light starter that also hits low, but unlike KOF, the knockback in SVC can actually prevent Iori from comboing after the f.A command normal. If this connects as a backhit, then the follow-ups afterwards are more consistent, but front hitting it's not as reliable. You can omit the second A attack if you're super cancelling to ensure the combo lands or if you're in Max Mode. Still useful to know since it doesn't drop in regular KOF, and it likely won't drop against bigger characters, just keep in mind it has consistency issues.
cl.C, (f.A~A)	TBA	TBA	TBA	TBA	Heavy starter. Since the f.A is only super or free cancellable on the first hit, you usually can only do cl.C in a combo. Doing the f.A command normal will connect the first hit but the second hit will whiff.
j.4B, any starter	TBA	TBA	TBA	TBA	Easiest way to confirm a cl.B, cl.C link if you want to use it. All other starters work just fine, though, and are what you'll see in most matches instead. Usually, people opt for either cl.C or cr.B, cr.A instead.

BnB Combos

BnB Combos

Combo	Position	Damage	Stun	Difficulty	Notes
(j.X,) Starter, qcb P x3	TBA	TBA	TBA	TBA	Simple Iori BnB that you'll do in every match as it's an easy confirm/punish into rekka or Maiden Masher. Can be done both as a low starter and with a cl.C after a punish/front step.
(j.X,) cl.B, f.A~A, qcb A x3	TBA	TBA	TBA	TBA	The same as his normal rekka combo but with a catch to it. On backhit, it combos like normal, but on front hit, the first qcb A whiffs. It is possible to still combo the rest of the rekka so long as you cancel the first rekka very quickly. Button hold helps in this regard.
(j.X,) cl.C, hcb K	TBA	TBA	TBA	TBA	Roughly the same (if not more than) damage as rekka that Iori can get, which also leads into a HKD.
hcb~f P, dash, cl.C starter combo	TBA	TBA	TBA	TBA	Another staple Iori combo you'll see a lot in KOF is to combo off of his command grab. In KOF, even if you cannot perform the run up cl.C, it was only a damage optimization, so you could opt for st.C or go straight to special/super anyways. Unfortunately, that's not the case here. Iori absolutely must run up to do cl.C to start any combo since st.C is not special cancellable outside of max mode. While Iori can super cancel st.C, the super will not combo from the distance set by command grab. Either that or go right to special/super. It's easier to do here since it's a dash instead of run, so Iori will always run a set distance so timing cl.C is easier, but is still a skill you need to practice.

Super Combos

Combo	Position	Damage	Stun	Difficulty	Notes
(j.X,) Starter, qcf~hcb P > qcf x4 AC	TBA	TBA	TBA	TBA	Simple Iori BnB that you'll do in every match as it's an easy confirm/punish into rekka or Maiden Masher. Can be done both as a low starter and with a cl.C after a punish/front step.
cr.A, hcb~f P, cr.A, hcb~f P, dash, cl.C, qcb C x3 / qcf~hcb P > qcf x4 AC	Corner	TBA	TBA	TBA	Only when Iori is in the corner. A very hard combo, but possible in a real match even though you'll likely drop it anyways. You can add a crossup attack to go in the corner too if you need a little more damage and a hit-confirm also. It might be possible to loop the cr.A > hcb~f P command grab loop midscreen as well, as it is possible in KOF, but the timing is different due to a forward dash instead of run. Combo purely for styling on the opponent. To buffer command grab, simply do half of the hcb motion, then press cr.A, and finish the motion to cancel cr.A into command grab as quickly as possible. Needs confirmation that this works. Doing cr.A > hcb~f P whiffs the command grab on front hitting Ryu at point blank range, suggesting this is not a possible combo.

Max Mode Combos

• Note: You can opt to replace cl.C with a light starter into f.A, but keep in mind that f.A is only cancellable into special in max mode, so you're sacrificing some max mode meter for the tradeoff of a low/light starter, and more time to hit-confirm said combo.

Max Mode Combos

Combo	Position	Damage	Stun	Difficulty	Notes
(j.X) cl.C, [hcb K(1), (C)dp C(2)]xN, (SC)qcf~hcb P > qcf x4 AC	TBA	TBA	TBA	TBA	One of Iori's best Max Mode combos. He has more options, but this is one of the most consistent combos while also being decently damaging. Does overall less damage than in KOF2002, but it's still a must-have if you're doing Max Mode combos to optimize Iori's damage output. Can combo into ranbu super either from dp C or hcb K, so you're not restricted to where you can super cancel.
(j.X) cl.C, [dp C(2), (C)qcb P]xN, (SC)qcf~hcb P > qcf x4 AC	TBA	TBA	TBA	TBA	Just another option for a combo. Harder to land than the above since the input reader can very easily mistake your DP motion as a ranbu input buffer.
(j.X) cl.C, [dp C(2), (C)hcb K]xN, (SC)qcf x2 B	TBA	TBA	TBA	TBA	A slight variant to Iori's default max mode combo. Instead of comboing into ranbu super, you super cancel into his dp K super. It must be the B version of the super, which is fast enough to combo, whereas the D version has longer startup. No real reason to go for this option beyond style points, or if you really struggle to do ranbu inputs after hcb K but need a super cancel after it. qcf x2 B will not combo off of dp C(2).
(j.X,) cl.C, hcb K(1), [(C)dp K, (C)hcb K(1),]xN, super	TBA	TBA	TBA	TBA	Another max mode combo variant. Mostly just there to look cool.