The King of Fighters '98: Ultimate Match/Yashiro Nanakase

From SuperCombo Wiki

Introduction

Yashiro’s charm lies in (kind of) safe, balanced, moves that do bursts of damage. Unfortunately for OG players, his dependable normals have been weakened across the board.

Final Edition Change List

Kof98umfe00.png

Move list

At a glance

Normal throws
Lever Blow (throw) f/b + C
Hatchet Throw (throw) f/b + D
Command moves
Regret Bash (OTG) f + A
Step Side Kick f + B
Special moves
Upper Duel dp + P
Jet Counter hcf + P
┗ Jet Counter: Still (during Jet Counter) qcf + P
Missile Might Bash hcb + P
Sledgehammer qcb + K
Super special moves
Million Bash Stream qcb hcf + P (repeatedly)
Final Impact qcf qcf + P (can be held)

Normal moves

  • st.A – has good priority, suited for jump-checking.
  • st.C – the startup is slow, but it is cancelable. When you have the margin for it, you can also use it for zoning.
  • cr.A – longish reach; spammable. If approached by the opponent, whiffing it at once in preparation would is generally prudent.
  • st.B – the reach is long so you can use it to zone, but it now leaves you more open so you can’t use it recklessly. In fact, it is possible to counter it even if it hits.
  • st.D – the reach is long so you can use it to zone, but it now leaves you more open so you can’t use it recklessly.
  • j.A – use it when jumping in.
  • j.C – use it when jumping in. Now has crossup capability, but in return, the hitbox has been weakened.
  • j.D – powerful in air-to-air. Now has crossup capability, but in return, the hitbox has been weakened. In particular, the downward-facing hitbox has been narrowed.
  • j.CD – powerful in air-to-air.

Command moves

  • Regret Bash
  • f + A
  • When not cancelled into, it is an overhead that does unrollable knockdown. Moreover, the startup for this version has been sped up, and it can now do OTG.
  • The cancelled-into version can cancel into special moves, and advances forward, so it goes well in combos.

  • Step Side Kick
  • f + B
  • As the name implies, Yashiro steps forward into a side kick. Cancelable even without being cancelled into, but it does a lot of pushback, so it is not oriented towards combos.

Special moves

  • Missile Might Bash
  • hcb + P
  • Yashiro swings both arms, punching in alternation. The weak version does two hits, the strong version does four. The weak version now leaves the opponent with a hitbox, so if you use a quick MAX really fast, you can juggle with Final Impact. In exchange, the recovery is now longer than even the strong version’s, making it more open, so you have to keep it almost strictly to combos.

  • Upper Duel
  • dp + P
  • An odd uppercut that only continues if the first step touches. At startup, he has chest-level autoguard; in UM, both weak and strong versions now have invincibility as well, so you can safely use this for interrupting or anti-air (though due to the restriction, you gotta be careful for that function). The weak version combos from weak moves, so you can also use it in combos.

  • Sledgehammer
  • qcb + K
  • Yashiro arcs through the air and comes down on the opponent’s head. This is an overhead move, and when it hits, it does unrollable knockdown. It doesn’t make combos, but it can be used for surprise attacks and such.

  • Jet Counter
  • hcf + P
  • Yashiro whips forward and wails at ’em. The weak version combos from strong attacks; the strong version doesn’t make combos, but it does have invincibility where and when Yashiro is invisible. You can use them for combos and surprise attacks, respectively.
  • The strong version is now an overhead, so at least it’s now more convenient in that regard. Also, doing the heavy version of the Jet Counter: Still followup from this leaves the opponent in a juggle state, but you have to MAX cancel (in Extra mode) to take advantage of this.
  • Jet Counter: Still
  • qcf + P during Jet Counter
  • A follow-up punch. The weak version might not hit some crouching opponents, but when it’s blocked, you are left less open. The strong version leaves you pretty open, but it does do knockdown. If you can hit confirm the Jet Counter, use the strong version of this. It does not matter which version of Jet Counter you used; Jet Counter: Still has its own weak/strong versions.

Super special moves

  • Million Bash Stream
  • qcb hcf + P (repeatedly)
  • A strengthened version of Missile Might Bash. You can increase the number of hits by pressing P repeatedly. The startup now has invincibility, so you can now use it in ground-to-ground interruption.

  • Final Impact
  • qcf qcf + P (can be held)
  • Yashiro punches really, really hard. This move combos from weak moves. If you hold the button, the damage done will charge up to four levels; the fourth level is also unblockable. The first level has extremely fast startup, so you can even use it to counterattack.

Combos

Basic

  • j.A > cl.D >> Regret Bash (f + A) >> strong Missile Might Bash (hcb + C) or Million Bash Stream (qcb hcf + P) or (weak Jet Counter (hcf + A) >> strong Jet Counter: Still (qcf + C))
  • Basic combo. The first two special moves are the best ones, but if you can’t hit confirm, use Jet Counter.
  • cr.B > cr.A >> weak Upper Duel (dp + A) or Final Impact (qcf qcf + P)
  • Basic combo from weak moves. The overheads have been buffed, so what was once a reassuring combo is now even more so.
  • cr.A > cr.A > cr.A or st.A >> various special moves
  • Useful for countering.
  • Regret Bash (f + A) > Regret Bash (f + A) (OTG)
  • Starts from overhead. Safe even if just the very tip can hit.

The Basics

In order to make good use of Yashiro, you will have to expend lots of gauge. The order in which you do things is also one important tactic.

The most intense setup for using gauge is when you exploit gaps in the opponent’s offense and use Final Impact, like say after you block the opponent’s combo or they whiff their blockstring. However, this does not begin to scratch the surface of possibilities. The next thing you can use is guard-cancelled CD. By way of starting with Upper Duel, Yashiro, who has no straightforward anti-air or interrupting moves, has to lean towards using gauge for those purposes. If you could get along not using it, there would be nothing to gain, so you need to find ways to cope with not using it, then set up to use it. To that end, st.A, cr.A, and st.B play an active role. When it looks like you’re about to be attacked, use them before it happens in order to restrict it; don’t allow the opponent opportunities to attack. By doing this, you avoid using gauge unnecessarily, and you can charge the gauge somewhat.

It is also important to charge the gauge by doing your own attacking. Problem is, Yashiro’s moves are pretty stuffable, so you want to find a way to attack continuously. To that end, you want to think about the best combos for ending an attack. If you are blocked, Yashiro’s offense doesn’t end soon enough, so you have to take care that you aren’t blocked before performing slow moves.

For example, when the combo from cl.D is blocked. After Regret Bash, when you confirm a block, you should one of various counter-measures. First, consider weak Jet Counter >> weak Jet Counter: Still. As long as the Jet Counter: Still is blocked, there will be some pushback, which can be a lure for the opponent to jump. If they jump, just stuff it with st.A or something and go from there. Naturally, the Jet Counter: Still doesn’t apply to characters with short crouching heights, so you need to have something else prepared for them. So then, consider strong Jet Counter. It is difficult to interrupt, and if it is blocked, you have a little advantage. If you confirm a hit, you can then combo into strong Jet Counter.

However, after Regret Bash, whatever you do, you present an opportunity to attack. Therefore, it would also do to not use it except for the combo (from a strong move) itself. Whereas if you attack mainly with cr.A, then if the opponent carelessly whiffs a move, you can counter with a combo or Final Impact.

So back to the original premise, it is to your advantage to fight like this, preserving your gauge. And remember, when Yashiro is not the last person on your team, you will probably want make sure you pass adequate gauge to the next guy....

In UM, Regret Bash has been greatly strengthened. You can press upon the opponent’s wakeup between the two options of a combo from the low-hitting cr.B and the overhead Regret Bash. Furthermore, Regret Bash now combos into itself once (due to the OTG property), so it does some considerable damage. After clear-cut knockdowns like a j.CD hit, you should go for the meaties to the best of your ability.

Advanced Strategy

Match-Ups