Kiba Inuzuka Guide For Naruto: Clash of Ninja 2 By ThunderBlue Disclaimer: In reading this guide, I assume that you're familiar with the basics of the game, such as substituting, blocking, dodging, etc. If you're not too sureabout these techniques, I suggest you read a ore general guide, or the game manual before reading on. Copyright 2006-2007 ThunderBlue: This may be not be reproduced under any circumstances except for personal, private use. It may not be placed on any web site or otherwise distributed publicly without advance written permission. Use of this guide on any other web site or as a part of any public display is strictly prohibited, and a violation of copyright. Version History: Version 1.01 Found quite a lot of typos after doing some more proofreading and have fixed them. Well, at least the ones I was able to find. I also added a few minor things and edited some stuff. Version 1.00 Copied down the character outline as well as the overall strategy with Kiba. Listed the ninjutsu, taijutsu and some of the combos. Miscellaneous stuff like battle quotes have also been listed. Almost finished, justneed to study some combos a bit closely. --------------------------------- I. Introduction: Naruto: Clash of Ninja 2 is a fighting game based on the highly popular manga and anime, Naruto. The game is true to traditional fighting games, with a lively character roster, each with their own special moves and combos. So lately, I've been really hooked on Naruto. The enormous cast of characters is sometimes hard to keep track off, but they are so colorful and they're fighting styles are so intriguing that you just have to watch them. For me, Kiba is one of the most fun characters. He's wild and active, and his fighting style is pure fun. Well, it is to me. So after picking up this game recently, I've decided to take Kiba in as my main nights. I've spent quite a few nights at the training room with him, and while I am by no means a master, I've come up with some strategies to suit his fighting style and can hold my own. This game seems to lack in Character Guides, so to splash in something new, I'll be working on this guide to help out anyone who enjoys playing as the loud and wild ninja! This is not just about combos, though, as that is what the manual is for. I will list combos and stuff, but the heart of this guide is actually playing as Kiba, and I hope it can help you out. --------------------------------- II. Kiba Inuzuka: Character Outline- Kiba is a loud and wild Konoha Genin who is a member of Team 8, alongside Hinata Hyuga, Shino Aburame and their Jonin sensei, Kurenai Yuhi. Though he appears rough and harsh, Kiba is a joking and goofy guy who cares deeply for his teammates, even if he does like to think that he is the boss of them, a flaw that he came to acknowledge later on. As a member of the Inuzuka clan, Kiba has his own nindog and faithful companion, Akamaru. The two share a symobiotic relationship with each other and are inseperable. Along with the rest of the Rookie 9, Kiba was nominated to participate in the Chunin Exams and was able to pass the written portion with Akamaru's help. Later on, his team survived the Forest of Death portion of the exam thanks to their superior survival skills. In the third stage of the exams, which was the preliminary round, Kiba was paired up against none other than Naruto Uzumaki. Kiba had very little respect for Naruto and was overconfindent, as Naruto was arguably the worst student at the Academy. Though he had the upper hand throughout most of the battle, Naruto, with some luck and clever strategy, was able to emerge victorious. Since then, Kiba has held a great deal of respect for Naruto and proceeded to cheer him on at the finals. Why Kiba? Why not, really. When it comes to competitive games like these, people tend to be really biased and just go for the the characters who sport the longest, deadliest combos. I'm the kind of person who goes for a character that I actually like to use, because if I'm not having fun with the game, then I'm wasting my time with it. Personally, I love Kiba's battle style and the various jutsu he can perform with Akamaru, and he's my all time favorite character in the series. So, really. I think you should all go for the character you like the most. It's inevitable that some characters are better than others in some respects, but every character is still good. So don't let popular opinion keep you from playing as your favorite character. Playing as Kiba- Kiba is one of few characters in the game who doesn't fight alone. By working in sync with his nindog, Akamaru, Kiba can easily bring down his opponents to then meet them with some powerful combos. Kiba does not have any insanely long combos like some of the other characters do, but they are still fast and strong. But, before we start throwing in combos, it would probably help a lot to know just what Kiba can do in the battlefield. The Good: -Kiba is strong. His combos are not overly long, but they are powerful and can knock off a large chunk of the opponent's stamina. -Kiba is fast. This is not immediately apparent to most players because although Kiba is quick on the ground, he is much more nimble in midair when he rolls up into a cannonball. More on this, coming up. -Kiba has surprisingly good juggling ability. By sweeping his opponent off his feet and launching him or her upward, Kiba can roll up into a human cannonball for multiple strikes in midair before finally letting his opponent touch the ground. -Akamaru can easily replace shuriken as Kiba's projectile weapon, and when used at the right time, can knock down his opponent and even open up the chance for some juggling. Play him right and he's great. The Bad: -While Akamaru can be very useful, when played badly, he becomes a liablity and only hinders Kiba rather than the opponent. Unlike shuriken, Akamaru is very easy to block, so wait for when the time is right. While Kiba is purely an offensive character, recklessly playing on the aggressive side obviously won't work, and the only result you'll get out of that is a painful substitution justsu to the rear. Not fun. What you must do is play a balance of strength, speed and defense. Kiba has both great strength and speed overall, so that shouldn't be a problem. I typically start my battles by running into the opponent with Kiba's Right+B attack to fling the opponent into the air, then going up and pressing B for a midair low punch and then a rolling attack. It's a fairly short combo that deals a respectable amount of damage, so I tend to use it a lot. Bear in mind, though, that while this may work heavenly against the lower difficulty COM, the higher difficulty COM, or a human player, will usually substitute after the midair punch. But what's so great is that with the rolling attack, Kiba gets launched a fair distance away from the opponent, and the substitution jutsu will fail almost all the time, usually leaving them with insufficient chakra for you to meet them with a ground-based combo. On the ground, I tend to use BBBAAB a lot, or I may just sweep the opponent with both Kiba and Akamaru to then meet them with a high punch or kick as they stand up. However, know that you can't always charge at opponents with a combo. They'll either block or escape it with a substitution jutsu, then they could possibly catch you offguard with their own combo. Because of this, it's important to know when to keep your distance. I tend to backflip a lot to then cripple the opponent from afar by throwing either Akamaru or some shuriken. Both can stun the opponent long enough for you to charge in with Kiba's Right+B, and hopefully juggle them in midair. Alternatively, I'll try a more horizontal approach by running and using A. It doesn't juggle and keeps the opponent on the ground, but it at least gets them away from you and deals some nice damage, too. Now, you may be wondering just when does Akamaru come into play. Well, when the time is right. When available, Akamaru will usually replace shuriken as Kiba's projectile weapon. But Akamaru and shuriken are actually very different. Unlike shuriken, which are fast and can pierce through an opponent's defense, Akamaru is slower and can be blocked easily, which can hinder your progress. But, if you toss Akamaru at the right time, he can easily knock the opponent down on his or her back, something that shuriken can not do. I generally like to throw Akamaru at unsuspecting leaping opponents. If the timing is just right, Akamaru will catch them by their feet and knock them down. And as the enemy comes tumbling, I really like to give them a whallop with Kiba's Right+A Double-Scratch attack twice in a row. Since the first one will mantain the opponent in the air, you'll usually get an open chance at a second one. You should always pay close attention to Akamaru when using Kiba. If Akamaru manages to get behind an opponent, order him to lunge and the opponent will have no time to block if you're fast enough. Also note that if you charge up before throwing him, he'll grab onto the opponent and repeatedly bite him or her. They'll take damage and become defenseless, so you can combo them and deal some nice damagae. Now, it's important to keep an eye on the opponent's chakra. Comboing the opponent when the bar is full or half-full will only lead to a substitution jutsu being used against you. Preserve your own chakra, and when the opponent combos you, it's time to block, then follow up with your own combo. If it connects and the opponent has enough chakra, rest assured that they will substitute out of it, but if you preserved your own chakra, you can substitute your way out of that and hopefully meet them with another combo. At this point, you should get enough hits in before they recover enough chakra to substitute. --------------------------------- III. Special Jutsu: Man Beast Clone - Fang Over Fang Akamaru transforms into a Kiba clone. They both assume a beast like stance and begin to spin their bodies at an incredibly fast rate. Finally, they body slam into the helpless opponent multiple times in the air. A testimony to Kiba and Akamaru's perfect pairing. I find that unlike other Special Jutsu, Kiba's is pretty easy to connect. Most other characters connect their Specials with a punch or kick, while Kiba charges into the opponent with a headbutt. I find this to be much more accurate than a punch or kick, especially since Kiba aims for the lower body, which means lesser chance of hitting the air. The only flaw would be that a jumping opponent could easily dodge it, but at least he raises his head a little. So anyway, it's a good finishing move. But that's it. It should only be used for finishing a fight. Using up all of your chakra for it in the middle of a fight is just going to wreck you. And besides, Kiba's combos can do just as much damage and even more. So, just use it for closing a match. Really, if the opponent is low on stamina and you know that you can pull it off, then by all means use it. Just make sure you only need this one more fight to win. --------------------------------- IV. Ninjutsu and Taijutsu: Here you have a list of all of Kiba's ninjutsu and taijutsu, as well as a brief explanation where I both describe what they do and throw in my own two cents. I will not be going too detailed here. If there's a move that I consider great for Kiba, it'll likely be on the battle strategy above. Ninjutsu- A - Akamaru Throw: Kiba commands Akamaru to lunge at the opponent. An incredibly versatile attack that can knock down opponents, but is easy to block. Wait for when the time is right and use it. Hopefully, you were timely enough so that Akamaru threw off the opponent. Don't let go of A to charge up Akamaru. If Akamaru lunges at the opponent in this state, he'll grab on and bite. Very useful for setting up combos. If Akamaru is currently unavailable, Kiba will simply throw shuriken. Right+A - Double-Scratch: Kiba scratches the opponent twice. I like to use this in combination with the Akamaru Throw. Catch an unsuspecting opponent in the air with Akamaru, then juggle with two Double-Scratches. Left+A - Teleportation: Kiba will "guard" to provoke the opponent into attacking, then teleport behind the opponent and attack. Don't use it. It may work against the COM, but no experienced human will be provoked by this, so it's just a waste of time and chakra. Substituting is so much better. Down+A - Akamaru Counter: If Kiba is hurt while you're pressing the A button, Akamaru will automatically Counter Attack. While this can be helpful, Kiba is not the type of character who should go playing on the defensive, so I really don't like to rely on this too much if at all. It's best used when Kiba is behind the opponent. Up+A - Diagonal Shuriken Toss: Kiba will jump and toss shuriken diagonally. Shuriken can be great, but I rarely use these. If I want to throw something at an aerial opponent, that something will be Akamaru. Run+A - Elbow Attack: Afer running into the opponent, Kiba will shove him or her away with his elbow. If you press A again, he'll spin around to shove the opponent even farther away. I use this move often, but I find it a bit unreliable at times. Sometimes, Kiba will just scratch the opponent instead. The timing has to be very precise, apparently. Anyway, it's good if you just want to get someone off your hair. Jump+A - Shruiken Toss: After leaping, Kiba will throw some shuriken diagonally downwards. Shuriken are great. Really, they are. Oftentimes, I'll use this manuever to cripple the opponent from afar if Akamaru is for some reason unvailable or if I just need a quick and reliable way to chip off some of the opponent's stamina. Taijutsu- B - Punch: Kiba will...punch the opponent. There's really nothing else to it. Right+A - Low Punch: I love this move. Kiba will fling the opponent upward with a "Low Punch". I say "Low Punch" because it doesn't really look like one to me. He just kinda, flings the opponent with his hands. Anyway, I love this because it sets up one of my favorite Kiba combos. If I can, I'll usually try to start my battles with this. Left+A - Low Kick Pretty self explanatory. Kiba raises his leg and then brings it down to kick the opponent. A pretty basic move. When I knock someone down, I will often try to keep them down with this. Down+A - Foot Sweep: Kiba swings his legs in a way that sweeps his opponents off their feet. I always follow this up by pressing A. That has Akamaru spin into the opponent. They usually block Kiba's Foot Sweep, but Akamaru almost always manages to get through them and knock them down. I just love the little pup. Up+B - Momentum Kick: Pretty much the reverse of the Low Kick. Like with the Low Kick, I will try to use this when an opponent stands up, but not too much, as it is rather prone to missing. Run+B - Rolling Charge: What I just love about Kiba is that ability to roll. This is pretty basic. After running, he'll just charge into the opponent while rolling a few inches from the ground. I use this pretty often, but I prefer his combo rolls. Jump+B - Midair Rolling Charge: Another rolling attack! For this one, Kiba will jump, curl up and come crashing down at the opponent. Eh, I really don't use it too often. It's pretty slow and thus predictable. To unsuspecting opponents, it can prove effective, but don't overuse it. --------------------------------- V. Combo List: Combos seem to be what most people pay attention to when they play this game. There is a lot more strategy to it, but combos are still important. No doubt about that. So yeah, I'll basically explain briefly what they do and toss in an opinion of sorts. Most of the important stuff was covered in the Battle Strategy, though. BBBB: Kiba punches, scratches and low kicks. A pretty decent combo. I actually used to spam this a lot back in my rookie days. Now, not so much. Still, it's short and easy to pull off, which is always a good thing. I no longer use it nearly as much, but it's still decent. BBBAAAB: Now this one I really overuse. This is kind of an extension of BBBB, with a rolling attack to finish it off. It's fast and powerful. It's a moderately long string of attacks, but it's a slim chance for all of them to hit when you're going up against someone smart. The rolling attack is the part that usually misses, but nevertheless, it'll help you get away from the opponent. BBBAABB: Again, this is pretty much an extension of the previous one. It's longer and generally more powerful. It can easily knock off over half of the opponent's stamina, which is quite a bit more than Kiba's Special. Overall, it's awesome. Though I tend to use the previous one for some reason. I just get confused with the button input. The other one is so much easier to pull off. But seriously, any opponent that actually gets caught in this is as good as death. Too bad it's kinda hard to do so without getting substituted sometime in between. BBAAA: I have a lot of fun using this move. After punching the opponent twice, Akamaru will repeatedly lunge at the opponent from distinct directions. It takes a bit of time, which really puts a dent on the fun that this move is, but once Akamaru kicks in, it'll be pretty hard for the opponent to block. Right+BA: Kiba will Low Punch the opponent, followed by an Akamaru lunge. Kiba's Low Punch with the Akamaru throw would sound like a pretty nice deal, but it really isn't. It's pretty slow and most opponents will find a way out. Up+BBBAAB: A pretty long string of kicks, scratches, and to close it off, a rolling attack. Pretty good, but I'm really not a big fan of combos where you have to flick the controller toward a certain direction. They just take too much time for me. I prefer to stick to plain ol' button mashing. Besides, I find the others a lot better. Up+BBBABB: Sorta the same thing as the previous one, except that there's only one scratch and two rolling attacks. Pretty much the same for the other one applies here, too. I just don't like combos like these. And I find the other ones just so much easier and better. --------------------------------- VI. Battle Poses and Quotes: Poses- Before the fight- Kiba extends his arm, saying "I ain't holding back!" Kiba tightens his arms and fists, saying "One hit is all it'll take!" Win 1- Kiba pets Akamaru, saying "Good job, Akamaru!". Win 2- Kiba poses like a beast and says "You've got a long ways to go before you beat me!" Lose- Kiba appears down on on his knees, hunched over and looking down at the floor, breathing heavily. Quotes- "Don't regret it!" "Can you keep up with my speed?" "Heh, this is nothing!" "Yahoo!" "Take this!" "This is mine!" "Here I come!" "Don't tease me!" "Gotcha!" "Aw, man!" "Darn it!" "You ain't seen nothing!" "Ninja Art! Man Beast Clone! Fang Over Fang!" "Go Akamaru!" "This is a piece of cake!" --------------------------------- VII. Ninja Profile: Ninja Registration Number: 0-12620 Birthdate: July 7 (Age: 12/Cancer) Height/Weight: 152.2cm/43.3kg Blood Type: B Personality: Wild, Active, Short-tempered Favorite food: Beef Jerky and cartilage Least favorite food: Anything you can't chew Would like to fight: Naruto Uzumaki Favorite Line: Akamaru Hobbies: Walks with Akamaru Specialty: Unknown --------------------------------- VII. Closing Comments: There you have it. This was actually done faster than I thought! It ate away and entire afternoon and almost the entire night, but it was worth it. So yeah, hope you have fun battling as the wild ninja that is Kiba! So uh, since this is my first guide, I figured that a mistake here or there is inevitable. So if you find something wrong, then by all means email me about it. Here's my email adress: dragonblue18@hotmail.com Feel free to email me with your own queries about Kiba and I'll do my best to answer, but please write a subject so that I know it's about the guide, as I generally disregard emails without a subject. Also, be polite and patient. If I take more than one day to reply, than the email probably didn't get to me, so it'd be okay to resend it. No flames or insults please. Rude emails will be ignored.