<(<)<('<)<(''<)<(=JIN=)>(>'')>(>')>(>)> Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 FAQ "Jin Needs to be in MvC3 if They Make Another One in the Next Decade" First Version: 1/6/01 Last Revised: 6/30/2003 Authored by: J2DK If this document or any part of it is copied or used without my consent, I will feel free to sue you for plagiarism or copyright infringement. If you would like to use any part of my FAQ, E-mail me what you want to do with it and I'll reply. Thank you for your consideration. *~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~* TABLE OF CONTENTS I. Introduction II. Jin's Story III. Character History IV. Why Play Jin? V. Legend VI. Revision History VII. General Moves VIII. Basic Attacks IX. Throws X. Special Attacks XI. Hyper Combos XII. Super Armor Jin XIII. Assist Types XIV. Combos XV. Strategies XVI. Special Thanks *~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~* I. INTRODUCTION I am J2DK and this is my first FAQ, but I have received several E-mails telling me how helpful it was. If you were wondering, I am a teenager from Las Vegas. The arcade that I most frequently visit is the Time-out arcade at the Orleans Hotel/Casino. If you have any suggestions or comments pertaining to my writing, please e-mail me. I know I'm not the best FAQ writer on this site, but I've been playing fighting games since Street Fighter II and Mortal Kombat; I've gotten to like the madness that is the Crossover Series and I wanted to share some of my "wait for your opponent to stand in the corner" multi-super Jin combos. By the way, my crap poetry site is down 'cause it's been taken many times without my consent. Thank you. I hope they do make an MvC3. I wonder how many characters would be in that...200? Haha! Give me Zero and Megaman X! Give me Havoc! GIVE ME NIGHTCRAWLER! Hehe, in fact...Give me Dante from Devil May Cry. And why not a REAL fighting game incarnation of the dreaded Carnage? Mwuahahaha! Capcom could seriously do some crazy stuff by adding the more original characters. (Yeah, Megaman X isn't original, but you have to admit it'd be nice seeing a Megaman Jin's height.) I mean, with that many characters, some would just be sheer novelties. (I don't care what anyone says, Kobun rocks!) Wouldn't it be cool to have Cable, Cyclops, and Havoc on one team? Those that follow the comic books know what I'm talking about. Imagine having Iceman, the Human Torch or Firestar (or even Pyro!), and Storm on one THC. It would be the ultimate elemental assault! ::Drool:: I can just imagine what kind of madness Capcom could cook up with another installment in Marvel vs. Capcom. *~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~* II. JIN'S STORY One day, Jin Saotome found a penny. He first thought this would bring upon good luck, but he was proved very wrong when he was hit in the back of the head with a baseball bat and was knocked unconscious. When he came to, he saw his "cousin" Shoma and asked, "Why did you do that?" Shoma replied, "I wanted to get your attention." Anyway, Shoma told Jin about this thing called Abyss that was causing a lot of trouble in the Capcom universe and told Jin to go and help out. Jin asked Shoma why he didn't go himself, and Shoma said he ahd to find Batsu and ask him why he's been attacking innocent girls like Momo. "Besides...you're a 2d sprite and I'm a 3d sprite, it would make for a very sloppy-looking game if I were to appear in my current state, and Capcom doesn't have enough time to translate my appearance to 2d. Well, that and the fact that all I have for weapons is a baseball and a bat. How am I supposed to face Hyper Viper Beams with that?" Jin thought about it. Shoma was making a lot of sense. Jin said, "Good point...Should I fight in my mech?" Being the difficult guy he is, Shoma said, "No way! That'd make things way too easy. Do it Jackie Chan-style and use your clothing as weapons!" Jin said "..." Later that day... Ryu shows up at Jin's place. "Yo, Jin! You ready? Let's take this Abyss guy down like we took down Onslaught!" Jin gets up grumbling something about how other video game characters won't leave him alone. "Yeah, Jin! Come help us!" It was Chun-Li's voice. "Gosh she's annoying..." Jin put on his headband ::cue dramatic music:: and said "Time to save the Universe again." Jin picked up his sword saying to himself: "Just in case..." and went out the door. (No, all you fanboys, I'm not insulting Chun-Li. It's just a bad joke.) *~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~* III. CHARACTER HISTORY From what I can gather, Jin Saotome comes from the Capcom mech-fighting game, Cyber Bots. He was the pilot of the Blodia. In the Crossover Universe, Jin fights outside of the Blodia, but not without its aid. He has appeared in the first Marvel Vs. Capcom, where he was my favorite character. That's all I know of Jin. *~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~* IV. WHY PLAY JIN? Bored of those Shotokans and their clones? Looking for an original character bearing no resemblances to that of the attacks of any other character? Are you looking for a good laugh while you fight? Looking for unexpected, powerful combos? If you have answered, "yes," to any of these, you are looking for and have found Jin Saotome. Each and every character has their pros and cons (some more than others :P), so let's do a run-down on Jin, shall we? Pros -He inflicts above average damage -He has powerful supers that can be comboed -He has short, powerful combos. -Powerful without the risk of being a big target. -Desperation mode increases power, vitality, and gives him super armor. -Most of his basic attacks do chip damage. -High priority thanks to those flames. -Has a throw that can be mashed. -Powerful OTG possibilities in the corner and out. -People who can't use him tend to think he sucks, so your skill will be unexpected. (Against humans only.) -Can cross up super jumpers two ways. -Two good anti-air attacks. -Can play offensive or defensive -Can switch from offense to defense in the blink of an eye just like Guile. -Crazy Expert Combos that do 80+ points of damage. Cons -He has lag before and/or after some moves. -His walking and dash speeds are a bit on the slow side. -Lack in air combos affects his offensive game a _little_ bit. -No real projectiles except Blodia Vulcan. -He's a "charge" character. Of course, since he's one of my favorite characters, I may be overlooking a few cons, but still, his pros outnumber his cons. *~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~* V. LEGEND D-down U-up F-forward B-backward Lk-light kick LP-light punch Mk-medium kick Mp-medium punch Hk-hard kick Hp-hard punch A1-assist 1 A2-assist 2 Qcf-quarter circle forward Qcb-quarter circle backward Charge-hold for one and a half seconds S-standing C-crouching J-jumping Sj-super jumping D-dash XX-hyper cancel (special move into hyper combo) OTG-off the ground (your opponent has been knocked down and you hit them while their lying there) *~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~* VI. REVISION HISTORY *1/6/01* Version 1.0: First release, everything is new. *1/7/01* Version 1.1: Second release, added combos to Intermediate Combos and to Crazy Expert Combos, and fixed some damage readings. *1/8/01* Version 1.2: Fixed some typos and other errors. Added boss strategies, added even more combos. *1/24/01* Version 1.3: Fixed typos, added to the "Strategies" section, and fixed some more mistakes. *11/18/01* Version 1.4: I was browsing through GameFAQs.com today and stumbled upon my old FAQ. I remembered that I had forgotten to incorporate grabbing strategies and I also wanted to improve a few areas and add a strange explanation for why Jin is even in this game. *6/3/03* Final Version: Almost forgot I wrote this thing. Wasted half an hour or so reading it to remember what I even said. Well, just decided to fix some typos, changed the strange explanation about Jin's appearance...made it even worse (didn't think that was possible, did ya? Haha!), revised the thanks section, made small changes to some sections because I sounded waaaaay too over confident (most of my stories are gone :P), and well...I fixed some grammatical errors, I left the fragments in the Attack Description section. Oh yeah, I messed with the Intro. *~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~* VII. GENERAL MOVES Here I will explain moves that all characters share. Damage readings taken against Cable in training mode. He takes normal damage and 143 points of life equal a whole bar. Computer opponents take less damage than human opponents. NOTE: In the arcade, the button labels are incorrect. The buttons that are labeled "jab" and "short" really are jab and short, but the buttons labeled "strong" and "forward" are really fierce and roundhouse. The buttons that read as "fierce" and "roundhouse" are really assist 1 and assist 2. While the medium buttons are not implemented, pressing one of the light attack buttons twice will result in a medium attack. Switch Out (10): lp+lk for first partner; hp+hk for second partner This is how to change your main character. When your character is weak or you just want to play as someone else, you push the command for the corresponding partner. Your current main character will taunt (invincible at this point) and your partner will jump in attacking at the same time, then taunt also. The second taunt leaves you open, but if the initial attack connects, you can proceed with an OTG combo, providing they don't roll. Snapback (10): qcf+A1 or A2 This attack, when not blocked, will knock your opponent's current point man out of the match and bring in the partner of your choice. Pushing the A1 button will result in the first assistant becoming point man and A2 will make the second assistant come in. This takes one hyper combo gauge, does chip damage, can be blocked anywhere, and Jin's snapback is his c. hp animation. Dash (none): f, f for forward dash, b, b for backward dash This can be a speedy advance or a hasty retreat. Hyper Combos (varies): varies A hyper combo, or super, takes one hyper combo gauge to initiate. Every character has at least one super and they are usually the most powerful attacks in their arsenal, or a power-up. Delayed Hyper Combos (varies): varies A DHC is when your current character performs a hyper combo, but in the middle of it, you enter the command for a super that your next character has. Example: Jin is performing a Blodia Vulcan, but during his firing, you enter the command qcf+two punches while Cyclops is your second character. Then the screen freezes, Cyclops jumps in, the screen unfreezes, and Cyclops does a Mega Optic Blast, while Jin and his mech retreat off screen. Sounds cool, doesn't it? This has replaced the Team Up Mode as the quickest way top inflict huge damage. Team Hyper Combos (varies): A1+A2 THC's are when your character calls out his team and they all do supers corresponding to their assist types. If you have one character or one hyper combo gauge, then only one person will do a super. If you have two people left and/or two hyper combos charged, then only two supers will occur. But if you have all three people still able to fight and have at least three gauges charged, ALL THREE characters will perform a super. Super Jump (none): d, u This is a super jump. Your character will jump to almost to the highest point of the second screen. Taunt Arcade taunt (no damage): Start Dreamcast taunt (no damage): lk+start When Jin taunts, his armor disappears in a flash of light and he's got a towel and he's rubbing his back. Whenever Jin's armor disappears, he's down to his drawers and Ryu-style bandana. *~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~* VIII. BASIC ATTACKS The numbers in parentheses are the amount of damage Jin inflicts. All damage readings were performed against Cable whom takes normal damage in training mode. The computer takes less damage than a human player. 143 damage points make up a full life bar. JAB (LP) Standing (2): Jin sticks his fist out and attacks. It is slower and weaker than most jabs in the game, but faster than his short. Jin's standing jab is almost as weak as Servbot's weak attacks. If you're going to jab on the ground, use the crouching jab for more damage. Can be blocked high or low. Crouching (6): Just like the standing jab, but stronger and can hit crouching opponents, except Servbot. Does more damage than the standing jab and can be blocked high or low. Jumping (4): A downward punch, not a good jump-in. Must be blocked high. SHORT (LK) Standing (6): A slow, straight sidekick to the midsection of most characters in the game. Can combo into several highly damaging attacks (see "Combos" section). Can be used for poking, I guess. Can be blocked high or low. Crouching (6): A slower, lower, more awkward looking kick to the legs. Jin supports himself on one hand and his feet then kicks forward. This could also probably be used for poking and can combo into the same things that the standing one can; must be blocked low. Jumping (4): This is a stereotypical flying sidekick where one leg is bent under him while the other kicks forward. It is, again, not a good jump in. Must be blocked high. STRONG (MP) Standing (9): This is Jin's launcher. Everyone in the game has a launcher and they all can be followed by aerial raves. Jin does a little uppercut with his fist enveloped in flames and sends his opponent high into the sky. This can be used as an unreliable anti-air attack and misses some crouching characters and Servbot. Does chip damage. Can also be performed outside of combos with d-f+hp. Can be blocked high or low.* Crouching (9): This is Jin's all-purpose combo filler. Combos into more than the standing short, but both are equally useful in combo starting. This is a flaming punch; Jin smacks the ground with his fist as if he were angry at it. It does chip damage. Can be blocked high or low.* Jumping (7): A flaming punch on the same horizontal line his face is on. I used to use this punch as an air-to-air attack because it's quick and does pretty good damage for a medium attack, but the medium buttons aren't implemented. This is basically just used as an air combo filler or in a two- hit jump-in. It does chip damage. Must be blocked high.* FORWARD (MK) Standing (6, first hit, 3, second hit, and 9 combined): This is a flaming two-kick attack. It can only be used as a combo ender because he leaps into the air when he performs this kick. It does chip damage. Can be blocked high or low.* Crouching (6, first hit, 3, second hit, and 9 combined): This is a flaming two-kick attack. It can only be used as a combo ender because he leaps into the air when he performs this kick. Can only be comboed from either of the two ground punches because the kicks push the opponent too far away. I used to use this as a fancy anti-air attack, but... It does chip damage. Can be blocked high or low.* Jumping (7): This kick can be used in a two-hit jump-in and as an air combo filler, but sometimes misses in air combos. It does chip damage and has to be blocked high.* FIERCE (HP) Standing (16): Wow! Do Jin's hard attacks do a lot of damage, or what? Well, Jin gives a mighty swing of his fist and dashes forward at the same time (without moving his feet?) to give this punch great range and priority. This makes a great counter and combos off of a standing or crouching kick, but it has some lag. Be careful when it's blocked. This breaks through super armor. Does chip damage. Can be blocked high or low.* Crouching (16): This punch is also a great counter, combos from the same attacks as the standing version, but has less range. Be careful when it's blocked because Jin will be sitting there with his arm and body shaking, Bruce Lee style. This breaks through super armor and is his snapback animation. Can be blocked low or high and does chip damage.* Jumping (15): Jin takes that mighty flaming hand of his (is it just me, or does Jin cover his hands in flame more than Ken?) and slams it downward. This is his best jump-in, in my opinion, and is a good air combo finisher. This breaks through super armor. You know the drill, chip damage, blocked high only.* ROUNDHOUSE (HK) Standing (16): Jin jumps straight into the air like a normal jump, but then his legs become a cyclone and he dives forward at a downward angle reaching from one end of the screen to the other. Unlike in the previous game, this can be comboed from a ground-based short kick. This has some lag at the end and beginning. Careful when trying to nail someone from across the screen, though I don't recommend it. This breaks through super armor. Chip damage, blocked high or low.* Crouching (16): Jin will slide across the floor in the same animation that is used during the attack frames and uses the same skidding animation. Be careful when it's blocked, it has some lag at the end. This is an even better counter than the fierce punches because you can link attacks after this one. This sweep comes out pretty quickly. This breaks through super armor, does chip damage, and must be blocked low.* Jumping (8, first hit, 6, second hit, 14 combined): I only use this or the Diving Cyclone as jump-ins when I want the combo counter to go a little higher. This two-hit kick is a little weaker than the jumping fierce, and it's an okay air combo finisher even though it doesn't create the flying screen effect. This breaks through super armor. It causes chip damage and must be blocked high.* Jumping d+hk (5 for each hit, 15 all together): This move makes Jin stops in mid-air, does the same animation for his two ground-based roundhouses, and dives down at a 45o angle in a three hit drilling attack. This move serves as an average jump-in and a dangerous air combo finisher because after the three hits connect, Jin will keep descending at his slow steady pace, not able to attack while the opponent lands and recovers before Jin's feet touch the ground. This breaks through super armor. It can easily be countered after ending an air combo with it, it does chip damage, and it must be blocked high.* *All of Jin Saotome's flaming basic attacks do chip damage, even on Iceman. *~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~* IX. THROWS All damage readings were performed against Cable whom takes normal damage in training mode. The computer takes less damage than a human player. 143 points of damage make up a full life bar. Hp throw (16): Jin grabs the opposition and slams them into Blodia's oncoming fist from the side of the screen to which Jin has his back. Hk throw (16+): Jin trips the opponent onto his/her back and then gets on top grappling, then proceeds pound his/her face. This can be mashed for extra hits and damage. Air throw-The same as the hp throw, but in the air. *~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~* X. SPECIAL ATTACKS This is a list of Jin's special attacks. I will provide a description and some uses. Again, all damage readings were performed against Cable whom takes normal damage in training mode. The computer takes less damage than a human player. 143 points make up a full life bar. Saotome Typhoon (6-31): charge back, forward+any punch The lp version goes about 1/3 of the screens distance and the hp version goes the whole screens length. This attack inflicts 1-5 hits and automatically goes into the recovery frames when he runs into a corner in the middle of the attack. I find this move less useful than the Saotome Dynamite because it has more lag. When you connect with at least three hits of the typhoon, you can tack on a Blodia Punch via hyper cancellation. Has a lot of lag after he stops spinning, but has almost no lag in the beginning, so you can use this when you're to far away to connect with a fierce or don't have a hyper combo gauge charged up. Can be comboed fairly easily. This move does about 8 points of damage for each hit with hp and about 6 points of damage for each hit with lp. (See "Combos" section.) NOTE: When you use this move, yell out "Typhoon!" along with Jin...just to annoy your opponent and to make your opponent think you are mentally unstable. Saotome Dynamite (5-23): charge d, u+any punch Jin stands up, puts his arms out (one to each side), his armor blows up to create shrapnel, and then puts one hand on the ground as his armor reforms. Sounds long, but it's pretty quick except the recovery time. Both versions do the same amount of hits/damage. The amount of hits varies (1-5) from distance and the situations circumstances (Is the opponent on the floor, is he standing, crouching, or in the air?). Tack this move on after crouching rk, no matter what to ward off any retaliation your opponent attempts. This is a great move to end combos with, and those combos can be extended with supers. (See "Combos" section.) Also, this move can nullify normal projectiles because his armor is not connected to his body when he creates the shrapnel. This is generally weaker than the Typhoon, but still powerful. NOTE: only single hitting projectiles, not beams, and not super projectiles. Saotome Crush (24): hcb+any kick Jin ducks, leans forward, grabs his opponent, rockets himself around the perimeter of the whole screen using flames from his posterior, lets go of the opponent, and then the opponent slams into the wall opposite Jin. Both versions are exactly the same. This can be comboed from a standing or crouching lk, other than that it has no real uses. It is a block-able special throw, but the damage is pretty good. It has lag before the lunge forward, and Jin does not go very far. There is also lag after it misses or is blocked. No chip damage to my notice. Not too useful, but amusing to watch. Saotome Fire (unknown I can't get the opponent hit with this in training mode): (Arcade) Start, then mash, (Dreamcast) lk+start, and then mash. With this move, it starts out like his normal taunt: He gets semi-naked, and rubs his back slowly. When you start mashing, he rubs faster and faster until finally his body turns red. Jin start's screaming in agony as his back becomes aflame. If the opponent jumps on you or hits you with a direct contact move (non-projectile), you will hit them a couple of times, and if they attacked, you'll probably get hit, too. It probably would do chip damage if someone jumped in and blocked it because it's flame, but I've never seen it, it's not often an opponent gives one time to mash up the flame. This is...completely useless, but very entertaining. Haha! Diving Cyclone (15, 5 per hit): d+hk in mid-air This is in the basic and special attacks because I didn't know whether to put it in the "Basic Moves" section or this one. Not many uses, most of the time, treat it like a normal jumping hard attack. Never end an air combo with it, doing so is VERY dangerous. *~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~* XI. HYPER COMBOS Here are Jin's super combos and their damage readings. Jin's hyper combos seem impossible to combo afterwards but this is not true. I know several ways to combo two hyper combos in one combo relatively short combo. Oh yeah, the damage readings were taken from training mode against Cable whom takes normal damage and one full life bar equals 143 points of damage. The computer takes less damage than a human. Blodia Punch (30-55): qcf+both punches This attack is the reason why I started using Jin back in the days of the classic Marvel Vs. Capcom. Jin rears back as if he is going to perform a standing fierce while the screen pauses for a second. Then, he finishes the punch animation without the dash, but the gigantic fist of the noble Blodia mimics Jin's motions and does colossal damage. The closer Jin's back is to the wall of the screen, the more damage it does. When it's done from across the screen and actually connects with the last hit, it does 30 points of damage, while if done while the opponent is landing from a Dragon Punch or an attack with a similarly long lag and ends up right in front of Jin with his back completely in the corner, it will inflict 55 points of damage. This is Jin's most combo-able Hyper Combo because of its quick start up. (See "Combos Section") After the super gets blocked, Jin is safe except for people with fast reflexes and characters with extremely fast dashes (Cammy, Servbot, the Wolverines, Magneto, etc), quick rushing supers (Juggernaut, the Wolverines, Hayato, etc.), and quick beam supers (Ryu, Cyclops, Ryu, Cable, Ryu, etc.) This super has quite a few invincibility frames during the start-up, but also has that second or two of lag after the move. Try not to whiff this. NOTE: Remember to yell out "Blodia!" and try to impersonate Jin's voice as best you can for more of those annoyance points =D. Blodia Vulcan (47-58): qcb+both punches Super jumpers beware! This move can really mess up your life bar if you're not careful. When someone attempts to super jump over you, initiate the super so that the bullets start to fly as they pass over you. When you do it this way, it's almost impossible to block. This is one of the best cross-up techniques in the game. I remember one time I really ticked this guy off, did it 3 times in one match: once against each character. If you are facing Jin, never, ever, EVER, push block the Blodia Vulcan during a normal jump because it will end up making a guard break and you WILL take full damage from the following bullets. This can no longer be comboed from a crouching fierce punch because the opponent doesn't stay in the air long enough for the Vulcan to start up and fire. No combos for this super, though it is pretty useful. (See strategies section.) Number of hits varies between 18 and 24. The closer the enemy is to the mech, the more damage each bullet does. This is Jin's infinite range super. It can connect on anyone; from anywhere; to anywhere. Useful as an anti-air if you know you're opponent is going to jump in and attack, makes a great counter (stronger than the Blodia Punch, in most cases), and is his most powerful super half of the time. Since the bullets do more damage when the opponent is closer to the Vulcan, it does about 58 damage close up, but if it connects from across the screen or connects on a super jumping opponent, it only does around 47 damage. NOTE: Don't yell with Jin on this one because it's more of a grunt than a word...I think it would just be odd. I still miss the MvC voice clip for this move. ::reminisces:: "Yaaah!" Saotome Cyclone (50): qcf+both kicks This is the hardest Hyper Combo to connect with as Jin Saotome. It connects for only one hit, but you have more than one chance to catch your opponent (i.e. if your opponent blocks the first "hit," push blocks, then dashes in while Jin's still spinning, they will be sucked into the storm). The amount of distance that Jin moves forward while performing this attack has been cut down from Marvel Vs. Capcom, making it even more difficult. The Saotome Cyclone does not reach the top of the second screen, instead, it only goes about half way up the second screen. It can be avoided at the peak of most characters super jumps if they are lucky, a double/triple jump, and also by anyone with an eight-way air dash...In other words, if they super jump right next to Jin, then they may dodge the Cyclone. Unless you're going for a cross-up, don't throw this out at random because of the small horizontal range and dreadful recovery time after a whiffed Cyclone. NOTE: Yell with Jin when he says "Saotome...cy-CLONE!" but don't spin...I tried it once. Not a good idea. *~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~* XII. SUPER ARMOR JIN Want to know what happens when a mech pilot gets ticked off? Well, knock out his two partners and whittle his life down to about 1/3 and find out! When the previous scenario is set, the first chance he gets to stand on the ground, he will power up and glow a certain color, depending on the costume you chose. When Jin enters his desperation mode, his attacks do more damage, he takes less damage, he gains super armor, he gets an increase in priority, and he loses nothing in his other stats. If you have the skill, Jin can take out whatever opposition remains. When you enter this mode, go into complete offense mode. Keep pounding your enemy with jumping fierce punches and attempting combos. You have super armor and can interrupt your enemy's combo with the correct timing. Just remember to block and make sure you know what you're doing, instead of mashing. Many people like to try and chip Jin to death, instead of going toe-to-toe with Super Armor Jin, so watch for the "Icebeam" principle. *~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~* XIII. ASSIST TYPES Type Alpha: Using this assist type, Jin will perform a Saotome Typhoon when called out to aid his partner, a very useful assist. It can be used to set up an off the ground combo, a beam super, a rushing super, a vertical super, used as bait or cover, an anti-air, and other things I haven't listed. When you have a really good assist, you have to sacrifice something, right? Well, in Jin's case, it's a good Team Hyper Combo because when you push A1+A2 while Jin is using this type, he will perform a Saotome Cyclone. Either the Saotome Cyclone will pick up the enemy and nothing else will connect, or the Cyclone will completely miss while the rest of the Team Hyper Combo connects or gets blocked. It's a good assist, but the THC sucks. I like this type since I don't use THC's very much. Type Beta: When Jin is using this type, he will jump in and do Saotome Dynamite. It's an extremely effective anti-air assist, but won't lead to much else unless you are using Captain Commando and whip out a Captain Sword as it connects. The THC on this type is much better. Instead of performing the Saotome Cyclone, Jin does Blodia Punch. A more effective THC for a less combo-able assist, you make the choice between Alpha and Beta types. I usually alternate the two depending on my partners, their anti-air attacks, and their hyper combos during THC's. Either one will aid you well, but since I don't often use THCs, I usually use alpha. Type Gamma: Jin will perform his standard launcher after jumping on screen. Use this only if your character's launcher is not very good. The THC hyper combo in this type is also Blodia Punch. I don't like this assist type. I find Jin's launcher is usually less useful than those of his teammates, but if you use it, remember to tap down before up after it connects. Umm...that means you have to manually super jump. That sometimes takes a bit of getting used to. *~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~* XIV. COMBOS Finally, the main course has arrived. I know this is what you wanted to see the whole time. Believe me, it's really not that impressive. This is a Jin FAQ, not Magneto. I will start with the basic stuff until I get down to the most difficult combos. Jin's combo series on the ground and in a normal jump is a 2-hit series. During a super jump, his series is a hunter series. A combo series is one character's ability to chain normal attacks together. Stronger is the shortest series. A character with a 2-hit series may perform two normal attacks consecutively, a weak attack and then either a medium or hard attack. The hunter a.k.a. magic a.k.a. zigzag series allows a character to perform any combination of attacks starting from wp ending at hk, without going backwards. Some characters can connect the whole six-button chain, though most can only connect with one of the hard attacks. I will not list every variation, in other words, I'm not going to list a combo, where both attacks are standing, and then list the same exact combo, except the first hit was crouching, though I will list the combos that are completely different when one is crouching instead of standing. Here goes. Jin's basic air combo is s.j. lp, s.j. lk, s.j. mp, s.j. mk, air combo finisher. His finishers are hp, hk, and Diving Cyclone. A jump-in may be added to these combos, though you may need to dash once you land to get the whole combo to connect. Jump-ins: hp, hk, Diving Cyclone, and light attack, medium attack. All s. lk's may be replaced by c. lk's, and all s. lp's may be replaced by c. lp. All damage readings have been performed against Cable whom takes normal damage. A computer opponent takes less damage than a human opponent. 143 points of damage are a whole life bar. All of these combos have been tested and figured out by me, J to the K and they all work, including my crazy expert combos. BASIC COMBOS s. lp, c. mp (2 hits) (11-15). s. lp, s. mp, followed by air combo, followed by a.c. finisher (7-9 hits) (40-48) s. lp, c. mk (3 hits) (11-15) s. lk, c. mp (2 hits) (15) s. lk, s. mp, followed by air combo, followed by a.c. finisher (7-9 hits) (44-48) s. lk, s. mk (3 hits) (15) s. lk, s. hp or c. hp (2 hits) (22) s. lk, s. hk (2 hits) (22) s. lk, c. hk (2 hits) (22) INTERMEDIATE COMBOS (From about half the screen away from the opponent) s. hk, OTG Saotome Dynamite (2-6 hits) (21-38) s. lk, Saotome Crush (2 hits) (30) c. hk, OTG Saotome Dynamite (2-6 hits) (21-38) c. hk, OTG Blodia Punch (5-9 hits) (53-63) s. lk, Blodia Punch (4-10 hits) (45-56) s. lp, c. mp, Blodia Punch (5-11 hits) (48-58) s. lk, c. hk, OTG Saotome Dynamite (3-7 hits) (27-44) s. lk, c. hk, OTG Blodia Punch (5-10 hits) (56-66) c. lp, c. mp, Saotome Dynamite (5-6 hits) (28-32) c. lp, c. mp, hp Saotome Typhoon (4-5 hits) (30-37) s. lp, c. mp, Saotome Typhoon (at least 3 hits)XX Blodia Punch (12-15 hits) (70-77) s. lp, s. mp, Saotome Cyclone (3 hits) (61-65) c. lk, s. mp, Saotome Cyclone (3 hits) (65) Saotome Typhoon (4 hits) XX Saotome Cyclone (5 hits) (73) MASTER COMBOS NOTE: These make you look really good. A few aren't that useful or practical, but they are as flashy as Jin gets. Yes, you do have to find a way to get your opponent into the corner for most of these. (From about half the screen away from the opponent whom is in the corner) s. hk, OTG Saotome dynamite (1-4 hits) XX Saotome Cyclone (3-6 hits) (71-81) (Opponent in corner) c. hk, OTG Saotome dynamite (1-4 hits) XX Saotome Cyclone (3-6 hits) (71-81) (Opponent in corner) s. lk, c. hk, OTG Saotome Dynamite (1-4 hits) XX Saotome Cyclone (4-7 hits) (75-85) s. lp, s. mp, Saotome Cyclone, OTG Saotome Dynamite (8 hits) (80-84) s. lp, s. mp, Saotome Cyclone, OTG Saotome Dynamite (one hit) XX Blodia Punch (9-13 hits) (105-112) (Opponent in corner) s. lp, s. mp, Saotome Cyclone, OTG Saotome Dynamite (1-4 hits) XX Saotome Cyclone (5-8 hits) (117-126) (Opponent in corner) s. lk, Blodia Punch, OTG c. hk, Blodia Punch (10 hits) (95) (Opponent in corner) s. lp, c. mp, Blodia Punch, OTG c. hk, Blodia Punch (11 hits) (95-99) (Opponent in corner) s. lp, c. mp, Blodia Punch, OTG c. hk, Saotome Cyclone (7 hits) (105-109) (Opponent in corner) s. lk, Blodia Punch, OTG c. hk, Saotome Cyclone (6 hits) (108) (Opponent in corner) s. lk, Blodia Punch, OTG c. hk, Saotome Dynamite (7-9 hits) (66-70) (Opponent in corner) s. lp, c. mp, Blodia Punch, OTG c. hk, Saotome Dynamite (8-10 hits) (66-73) (Opponent in corner) s. lk, Blodia Punch, OTG c. hk, Typhoon (7-8 hits) (67- 71) (Opponent in corner) s. lp, c. mp, Blodia Punch, OTG c. hk, Typhoon (8-9 hits) (68-75) (Opponent in corner) s. lk, Blodia Punch, OTG c. hk, lp Typhoon (3 hits) XX Saotome Cyclone (9 hits) (114) (Opponent in corner) s. lp, c. mp, Blodia Punch, OTG c. hk, lp Typhoon (3 hits) XX Saotome Cyclone (10 hits) (111-115) (Opponent in corner) c. lp, c. mp, lp Saotome Typhoon (4 hits) XX Saotome Cyclone (7 hits) (82) NOTE: If you find yourself connecting with a Blodia Punch in a corner, no matter how you did, you can continue into the c. hk and then another super. The same goes for the Saotome Cyclone, except you can connect another super to it outside of the corner. Those are all my insane and not-so-insane combos. Now, on to the next section.... *~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~* XV. STRATEGIES OFFENSE Here's a tip for when you attempt an air combo with the mech pilot. The four commands before the finisher should all be done in the same rhythm. Make sure that when you push the lp button the first time, you don't go too far up before you begin the air comb. If you reach the peak of your jump before you begin, you will surely miss after the s.j. mp. If you begin just before the peak of your super jump, you will miss with the s.j. mk, if the button presses are done too fast, it will go right over your opponents head. Also, don't air combo with Jin too much, they aren't worth the trouble. It's a bit difficult to learn the timing of the s.j. mk, so I usually only air combo with Jin once or twice in one battle. Although Jin isn't really a crazy 20+ hits combo freak, he has a mean offense. He can easily pin a person in the corner by repeatedly pressuring them by pounding them with a jumping fierce, and if it's blocked, jump up and do it again. Okay, I know I said to use the fierce a lot, but mix up Jin's jump ins. Don't jump in with his weak attacks, but mix it up with his three fierce/roundhouse attacks (don't forget about the Diving Cyclone!). He does chip damage with his flaming attacks. If you keep pressuring your opponent in this way, your opponent will take chip damage, sometimes, without them noticing. Jin's most useful pressure technique which I forgot to mention until the final version of this FAQ would be the sweep. Why? Because if you see your opponent let his/her guard down, cancel into the Dynamite. This works so well because of the long drill animation. If Jin performs the sweep right in front of someone, Jin's sweep animation goes for about 2 or 3 seconds WHILE HE'S NOT GOING ANYWHERE. Eventually, you'll develop a sort of sixth sense with this technique. You KNOW when the opponent is going to try to attack. Of course, once they catch on. Don't do the dynamite until he or she let's his/her guard down. If you do, Jin's recovery on the Saotome Dynamite leaves you very open. In fact, if your opponent just blocks the entire animation, then don't even bother DOING the Dynamite. (Note: leaving the Saotome Dynamite off completely only works on human opponents that have fallen for this several times.) The sweep is like bait. If they take the bait, blow them sky high (if you're in the corner, cancel and tack on a cyclone :)). If they don't take the bait, then don't do Saotome Dynamite. Get it? Another reason this is so useful is because Jin can cancel into the Dynamite at any point in the animation of the sweep. Many players that haven't been the victim of this technique will attack once Jin's flames disperse and Jin is in his "finished" recovery frames. That can be canceled out of, too! Haha! Some people wait till his sweep is completely over. I have no idea why, but some people walk forward or dash to start a combo only after Jin stands up again. I just Dynamite my opponent then if he/she does that. The computer for some reason is guilty of doing this often. Jin's combos are short and sweet; take advantage of that. Just because he is a smaller Hulk doesn't mean that he can't keep the pressure on just as well as Strider and Captain Commando, because he can. So when your on the offensive, keep up that pressure with jumping fierce punches and throw in a few c.hk, Saotome Dynamite against turtles, because they want to counter it. If you get this combo blocked against a non-turtle, and they pull something, perform the Punch super and the invincibility frames will take good care of you, but will treat your opponent horribly. Remember to be polite and apologize about the damage :). Also remember to continue into one of the Crazy Expert Combos if they don't roll, you can perform them without too much trouble, and if they are in the corner at the time. Initiate Jin's sweep right after the recovery frames finish then perform either another Blodia Punch or a Saotome Cyclone. DEFENSE Jin's defensive game is very good; he can knock out his opponent by just waiting for an opening, or for a projectile, or other things that leave the opposition open. The fierces make great counters for any lagging attack and the Blodia Vulcan is perfect for dodging projectiles, beams, super versions of them, and rushing attacks while inflicting pretty good damage. Once Jin snaps his fingers, or the screen pauses, he is invincible, so that means anything coming your way will miss and the Blodia will bust a proverbial cap in the enemy. Also, do this when your opponent is super jumping over you and it is almost guaranteed to hit. The Saotome Cyclone is also a pretty good defensive tool. It's a powerful anti-air, and can cross up enemies like the Blodia Vulcan, but they have to be a little lower due to its vertical range. A great thing about catching someone with a Saotome Cyclone while they are jumping in at or jumping over you, is that when the Cyclone drops them, you can continue to pummel them (provided they don't roll) with a Saotome Dynamite which can stretch to a Blodia Punch or Saotome Cyclone. It's beautiful, really. For his anti-airs, you may use a Saotome Typhoon (not recommended), a Saotome Cyclone (not bad), or Saotome Dynamite (now that's what I'm talking about!). Jin can stop any jump-in, anytime, anywhere, with his Dynamite attack. If your opponent blocks it and tries to dash in on you to retaliate, pull out the Blodia Punch and take advantage of those invincibility frames. Remember to continue into one of the Crazy Expert Combos if they don't roll, you can perform them without too much trouble, and if they are in the corner at the time. Initiate Jin's sweep right after the recovery frames finish then perform either another Blodia Punch or a Saotome Cyclone. THE FIERCE PUNCHES These are good for counters, tacking on at the end of a combo, or for chip damage. Use these punches freely, but use common sense. Don't do a standing fierce against a blocking opponent when you can use the safer jumping fierce. THE DASHING SWEEP Jin's sweep moves him about half way across the screen. This is very useful. It's a better counter than the fierces because it has just as much range as the standing fierce, comes out quickly, and can link into a Saotome Dynamite or Blodia Punch. When you see anyone doing a Hurricane Kick out in the open without comboing, punish him dearly. SAOTOME DYNAMITE This is all-around Jin's best special. It's good for offense, defense, and anything in between. Leads to difficult and damaging combos, and it's pretty damaging all by itself because it hits more than one time. GRABBING Yes, I know that many people call grabbing cheap, but hey, the way I see it, if you can grab your opponent out of practically anything, why not use it? I'm not saying abuse your skill, timing, and mastery of grabbing, but use it when you need to. I like to grab people after a missed air combo with Jin just because his retaliation air combo would be hard to pull off. Many a time have I picked someone out of the air trying to jump in at me. Cable ::jumps:: Jin ::jumps:: Cable ::kicks:: Jin ::grabs Cable and smashes him into Blodia's fist:: If you really have good timing, you can even grab characters out of rushing supers like Captain Storm. If someone is really turtling to the extent where you can't connect with anything, then inturrupt your jump-in pattern after a few blocked attempts and jump into the air, land, and then grab your opponent (I recommend the kick grab when you're on the ground because it can be mashed). It is possible to grab characters out of many supers, depending on your position of course. SUBMITTED STRATEGY Jamesbot5001@aol.com suggested using Rogue's throw assist (type Gamma) to easily connect one of Jin's supers. After Rogue's assist connects, initiate one of his supers, any one will do. I found that this is very useful if you can use Rogue decently because it gives you a lot of easy damage and, like Jamesbot5001 said, it will probably piss off your human opponent. Rogue throw assist, Blodia Punch does about 57 points of damage because the enemy if flung into the metallic fist; Rogue throw assist, Saotome Cyclone does 62 points of damage; and Rogue throw assist, Blodia Vulcan does around 67 damage because the enemy is flung right next to the Vulcan. AGAINST CERTAIN TYPES OF PLAYERS BEAMERS/KEEP-AWAYERS As with any character without a projectile against a beamer/keep-awayer, never let them get too far away from you. If they play keep-away, they will most likely be turtles, so treat them as such. They will easily back into a corner without you even having to lay a finger on them as they try to keep away. If when they are in the corner and they try to escape by _super jumping_, you know what to do: Blodia Vulcan and teach them a lesson about fighting a Jin expert! CRAZY DIALERS By crazy dialers, I mean Strider, the Wolverines, Captain Commando, Storm, Psylocke, Cyclops, Gambit, and anyone that can keep pressure on you the whole match if they felt like it. What you have to do to defeat them is turn that pressure turn against them. You've got an insane Spider-man or Strider jumping-in every few seconds? Blow him sky high with Saotome brand Dynamite. Or maybe you'd like to trap them in the middle of a Cyclone, and then blow them up with some Dynamite. Then, maybe you feel like Punching your enemy, hmm? What if you have a Wolverine or Cammy Dashing in with no remorse? Do you remember the invincibility frames on the Blodia Punch? You better remember. How about after they back off, you put pressure on them? It should be safe. POWER CHARACTERS They're just like you except slower, a little stronger, and they're MUCH BIGGER TARGETS. Since all you hard attacks break through super armor, you can keep pressure on them and chip them with your normal attacks just as well as they would you. Jump in with fierce a lot because it breaks their super armor (if they have it) while allowing you to continue a combo. HYPER ARMORED CHARACTERS I hate these guys. Mecha-Zangief isn't really too difficult, but Hyper Armor Colossus is too good. Colossus can have hyper armor and will still be able to BLOCK which makes it easy for his to block in the middle of most hyper combos or Power Tackle or Power Spin you in the middle of a combo. Neither can be launched, but that's not big deal for Jin. Against Mecha-Zangief, I usually jump over him and do a fierce in the air and when he turns around, jump over him again and hit him. Also, you can Blodia Punch from far away or Blodia Vulcan for about half the damage. Just remember that he has an anti-air super in this form. When Colossus activates his hyper armor, (I'll be the first to admit it) I run like a coward and try to turtle. I block an attack; push block, and super jump. When he's standing there roaring like an animal, I put in a fierce, Blodia Punch, or preferably a mashed F. kick grab, then run like hell. Sometimes as I jump, he will Power Tackle so I air grab him on the way down or land and then jump up and grab him. Hyper Colossus is very tough if you go on a full offense. You can lose A LOT of life VERY QUICKLY, so please remember, GRAB, GRAB, RUN, then GRAB again! Oh, one more thing: while blocking against Hyper Armor Colossus, don't get caught in a grab yourself. It does the same damage as your grabs, but it's just a bit embarrassing after all that running. COMPUTER The computer isn't too much trouble. There are some patterns though. Some computer characters will keep-away and try to chip you to death (Iceman, Iron Man, War Machine, Ryu, etc.), some will dash and jump-in like crazy (Strider, Spider-Man, etc.), others will do something insane like super jump, but before they get to the second screen, they'll air dash down at you, or do a downward attack (Rouge, Storm, Magneto) and it is extremely cheap and frustrating. Some computers don't have an apparent pattern and play *almost* like humans. ABYSS FIRST FORM This form is a pushover. He's bigger than Sentinel, he can't block, and he takes three hours to get ready for one attack or turn around. For his horn attack, he actually has to reach up and pull the horn out of his head before he throws it at you, and by that time, you should already be on the other side of the huge armored freak. Since Jin doesn't jump high enough to leap over the Abyss, so you will have to super jump and hit the fierce button almost simultaneously to get to the other side, do damage, and decrease the height of the jump at the same time. When he rears back to do that rushing attack, either super jump over him or block the attack. When he puts his arm in the sky, get ready to block because the attack will track you and rain down on your position. If he does that beam super and you jump over him, pummel him with crouching hk's to Saotome Dynamite. Don't waste any supers on him. SECOND FORM This form is just funny to fight. Jump over him and hit him with an hp at the same time. When you land and he starts to turn around, do it again. The only things you should look out for are the bubbles and his spray super. Against the bubbles, you can call in an assist, do Saotome Dynamite, or use the Blodia Vulcan. Use a Blodia Punch to make things speed up a bit. Beam and projectile assists are very helpful here. THIRD FORM If he disappears from the screen, block. When he reappears after the fire columns thing, hit him with a jumping fierce, and then block. A Blodia Punch after he does his Venom Bite imitation is good. In this match you'll have to block a lot. The boss is so easy in this game that it's funny. You should be able to take out all three forms without losing Jin or switching out, unless you got caught with a super. *~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~* XVI. SPECIAL THANKS Thanks to JChristopher for posting my suggestion in his Crowd Pleasers Guide, it made me feel like writing this FAQ. I had a lot of time on my hands one weekend... Thanks to anyone I've ever beaten or lost to on the console, in the Orleans Hotel/Casino's Time-Out Arcade, or anywhere else. Thanks to GameFAQS.com if they post my FAQ. Thank you to everyone who has E-mailed me. Sorry if I ignored your e-mail or didn't mention your suggestion here. I probably forgot about it. Hey, it's blunt, but at least I didn't lie! That's all, so thank you to anyone who read my "Jin Needs to be in MvC3 if They Make Another One in the Next Decade" FAQ COPYRIGHTED J2DK 2001 *~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~*