------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Samurai Shodown Nakoruru Strategy Guide Version 2.0 12/22/93 ~SINCE 1788~ Primary info provided by: Wing H Yi yiwi3673@css1s0.engr.ccny.cuny.edu Sean Michael Goller wipeout+@CMU.EDU Eiji Ohmori 3k022@cfi.waseda.ac.jp Vince Koh Kia Keng vince@alchemy.TN.Cornell.EDU Additional info was gleaned from the September & November 1993 issues of "Gamest", a Japanese arcade gaming magazine, from the SS FAQ & from the rec.games.video.arcade newsgroup. For more info, get your hands on the SS FAQ. This guide is still a bit incomplete & needs some holes filled. If you have any info you'd like to add, email it to the first address above (yiwi3673@...). ----- DIRECTORY: * Info on Nakoruru * Moves * General Tips * Combos and Techniques * Tips vs. ... ----- INFORMATION ON NAKORURU The following is a portion from an article posted to r.g.v.a by Eiji Ohmori: This profile is quoted from _Samurai Spirits Zoukan_, the special issue of monthly _Gamest_. Name: Nakoruru School: Shikanna Kamui sword-dance school Weapon Name: Chichiushi Birthday: October 11, 1771 Age: 17 Birthplace: Ainumoshiri Kamuikotan Blood Type: AB Height: 5 shaku and 1 sun (~ 5.1 feet) Weight: (She won't tell) 3-sizes: B 73, W 50, H 82 (cm) Hobby: Listening to voice of nature Families: Sanouku (grand-father) Monashiri (grand-father) Mamahaha (hawk) Precious Thing: Chichiushi (a memento of her father, Ainu fighter) Favorite: Forests and animals in Kamuikotan Unfavorite: Bad people who pollute nature Complex: secret What she thinks about the way of the sword: "I want not to injure others, but I think it is necessary to protect nature." ----- Nako is the fastest character in the game. However, the reach of her slashes is the shortest. This means to win with her you must somehow get close to your opponent. IMHO, I think she has some of the best looking moves (special & regular) in the game. All others suck. (just kidding :) She is an Ainu from Hokkaido & accompanied by a hawk named Mamahaha. When Nako wins a match she says "Daishizen no shioki yo!", which means "Mother Nature's Punishment!" Also note that on the screen where they usually carry your opponent's corpse away there is a slight difference between the red Nako(chosen with A button) & the purple one(chosen with D). The red one smiles with her mouth closed & the purple one with hers open. If you finish a match without a sword for Nako, she has a different victory pose. If you somehow let Nako's sword get broken, she'll end up on the ground shaking her head with her hand over her mouth for a couple of seconds (kawaii kedo, nasakenai zo). ----- BASIC MOVES Some of the important basic moves: (cr = crouch) B Fast slash. Has very good (for Nako) range cr-AB Roll forward cr-D Medium sweep, has longer range than a cr-C sweep cr-CD Double leg kick, knocks them off their feet, better range than cr-D (when near opponent) -O + B Throw -O + AB Trip & Stab, if weaponless then grab & slap & pound with both fists (press button to slap faster). Try this, it's fun ! -O + D Climb on & kick Special moves: (facing right) Annu Mutsube (with weapon) O- / | + A,B or AB. A goes a short distance, AB goes far. O O These all stay on the ground. Lela Mutsube (with weapon) | \ -O + A stays on ground O O B rises a little AB rises a lot Amube Yatoro Sends Mama to attack -O \ | / O- + A,B or AB. With A Mama goes short, AB he goes long. O O O Grab on to Mama | / O- + C You need to do this before doing one of the next 2 moves. O O You can fly around a while before you automatically drop off. Warning: you can be hit while holding on. Also use this to call Mama back when you lose your sword. Yatoro Pokku Spin off Mama / or | or \ + any button(s). The joystick position determines which O O O direction you go. You can do an Annu or Lela immediately after you land. Kamui Mutsube Dive into opponent with your sword Joystick neutral + any button(s). The CPU automatically aims you (up to a certain extent). ----- General Tips When getting near your opponent, be aware of your own hitting range as well as theirs. When you get into their hitting zone you have to be ready to block as you get closer. Use B slashes when near. Blocked AB slashes spell big trouble because you then stand there paralyzed for a long time. Jumping AB slash is probably Nako's strongest move. Use when possible. This could be the most important thing to remember when playing vs humans: Remember what opponents' AB slashes look like. Everyone has a long recovery time after they AB, so take advantage by doing an AB-Annu Mutsube immediately. This will work if they missed or even if you blocked. If you are next to them however, do the B slash combo. (see combo section) cr-D sweeps are extremely useful. They have decent range & can stop opponents attempting to AB you as it hits them when they're barely halfway thru their motion. Use often. Defend air attacks by most chars by walking closer & pressing AB. Or try Annu or Lela as they are about to land. Doing some special moves where you end up in front of your enemy is extremely dangerous if blocked, so don't try something like an Annu Mutsube if your opponent waiting for you. If you must, try an AB-Lela Mutsube where you might at least flip away after contact. Certain things thrown at you can be stopped by hitting them, such as Kyoshiro's fan, Galford's mutt, etc. Don't try this against things like Haohmaru's whirlwind. Another way to counter projectiles is to do an Annu Mutsube & go right under & hit the thrower. This works for sure against Galford's mutt (you won't go under, you'll just hit her) & his plasma blade. It looks like it would work vs Tam Tam's skull since he throws it high. It may work vs Hanzo's shuriken & Kyoshiro's fan. (By the great Buddha, this needs to be studied...) Also, it *is* possible to hit someone with a Kamui even when they're blocking. If you can judge the angle so that the back edge of the arrow tags them in the back of the head, you've got 'em (of course, getting to a point to be able to do that in the 2-3 seconds you have on the hawk is difficult...) You may sometimes want to grab onto Mama & just wait to see if your opponent moves or jumps toward you then do a Kamui. As your opponent gets up, you may sometimes want to use Amube Yatoro. Use Mama's attack as a defensive measure...after jumping in and attacking, jump back and as you land send Mama off. Usually manages to keep people away from you for a few seconds or toasts those foolish enough to come after you. Also use against an opponent jumping up & down. If you are swordless, it is possible to catch your opponents' sword as he tries to slash you & throw them. If your opponent has only a sliver of power left, finish them off with a Kamui Mutsube, which drains power even if blocked. Annu & Lela Mutsube also drain power, but less I think. Against people who wait, well, all rules of etiquette go out the window(if you actually had any). You have to use what you can, like throwing, when you have a chance. To get close, try some of these: -Jump in with D kicks. -Walk up to them, but do a D sweep occasionally when in range. -Run up to them, but jump so that you can land near them & hope that they tried to hit you when you were still on the ground. -If near the edge of the screen, jump back, bounce off the side & land next to them. This can surprise them, especially in a stage where there are things obscuring the top, like in Kyoshiro's stage. -Grab onto Mama & use Amube Pokku. This has less recovery time than Kamui Mutsube so you can try a Lela Mutsube or a throw after you land. -Jump in without attacking, then throw, grab etc. vs CPU If something works once, it may be a good idea not to do it again until you've mixed in some other techniques. For example, vs some chars, you can jump so as to land very close behind them then throw them. If you try this again immediately after, you'll probably be the one thrown. There are times when the opposite is the case. Once vs Tam Tam, I moved close, did a cr-D, he blocked then jumped straight up, then I jumped up to cut him. I repeated this sequence several times. If similar happens to you, try to keep it going! SS has a HUGE delay time. You can do the joystick move for a Mutsube and not press the button up to about a half to a full second later. This pretty much works for all special moves. Works really well when you want to jump on Mama at a certain time. Speaking of which, perfect that. On of her best moves in terms of flash, style and damage is being able to jump onto Mama when you're being attacked, then *immediately* jump back off and burn the heck out of them with a Kamui. Other basic stuff : air slash *early*. There's a long delay time between when you press and when the slash gets to a point to do damage. If you have problems, stick with kicks in the air, with which you have a better chance of connecting. ----- Combos & Techniques: Simplest combo: Jump-AB, standing AB. It is possible to buffer an Annu or Lela Mutsube into a standing or crouching B slash. Simply press B then immediately perform the Annu or Lela move. 3* Jumping attack, any B slash + AB Annu (or Lela if close enough). 2* Same as 3*-combo without the jumping attack. vs some CPU chars, the 3*-combo can be useful because they may often block the 1st 2 hits then suddenly decide they want to attack & get hit with the Annu. (From: Sean Goller) cr-AB, cr-D, walk closer D. (You can try replacing the last D with some Mutsube) You may also want to consider replacing the Annu or Lela in the above combos with an A-Yatoro Mutsube (weird huh?) (From: Kenichiro Tanaka ) AB slash, Annu Mutsube (From: banz@pegasus.rutgers.edu (Megaera) ) cr-AB, any grab AB in air, Annu on ground ------ Tips vs. Vs Kyoshiro Try to stay on the ground if they're good with the spinning flame halberd. Use C & D a lot to get in, then throw. Never try to slash him as he is coming down unless he is very close, as he has a long slash range with his halberd. His fire-fan can be easily countered by an Annu. Vs CPU, it is fairly safe to jump in for an attack. The jump behind, throw move works well if not used too often consecutively. Use Mama liberally (Amube Yatoro). 3* combo works well. Vs Galford/Hanzo They may be about as fast as you, but your Annu Mutsube renders their teleport tricks virtually useless & can hurt them bad if they try them. If they teleport overhead of you, simply block, then immediately do an AB-Annu as they bounce away. This works best if they are near the end of the screen, otherwise you need to do it immediately after you recover from your block. If you're feeling frisky, don't block & try forward AB strike when he's coming down. For their Kagebunshin (the 4 copies), try to get in a position where you can sweep through the most copies with a B-Lela Mutsube or something. Stay on the ground, because their ground slash is deadly & they are quick in the air. Vs Galford, use Annu when he shoots his plasma blade or sends his mutt at you. But you must do it quickly as soon as you hear him say "Go!" or see him rearing back to fire otherwise he will have time to block. Remember to do cr-D sweeps too, which can help you get close. Use Mama when you aren't too close or when he's getting up. If you're too close, his mutt mutt may hit you, possibly leading to double KOs. Vs CPU Hanzo: This guy likes to jump a lot. You can induce him to jump by repeatedly pressing cr-D. Once in the air, maneuver yourself closer & AB or B slash him as he lands. You can peck away at his power with this technique. If he is near the side of the screen getting up, get next to him & jump straight up & AB as you come down. The idea is to make him do the overhead teleport so you can block it & AB Annu/Lela him. Repeat. If still jumping a lot, hang onto Mama, burn him with Kamui. Vs Earthquake Move around a lot. Don't let him corner you. Hopefully he'll do a lot of ABs and you can get him during his recovery time. The Kamui & Annu moves are extremely effective vs his butt bounce & rolling moves. Make liberal use of Mama. Also try to anticipate when he'll attack when both of you are on the ground then jump in & hurt him while he's still recovering. Try this vs CPU: do a Kamui so that you land crouched at his feet & immediately do a cr-AB. He'll try to hit you, but you're too close & he misses completely while you slice his fat legs. Important: the initial Kamui must hit him around his pot belly or higher so that he has to block it. If you didn't make contact, he'll probably get you. Don't try this again right away. Vs Haohmaru Use aerial Cs and Ds a lot. Ground kicks, stabs, and throws work well. Use Mama a lot when not too close to him. Be ready to jump in when he throws a whirlwind. Don't be too afraid of his Kogetsuzan. It doesn't take away as much power if it hits you while he is in the air. Vs CPU: You can wait by hopping up to Mama and when he executes the whirlwind, burn him with a Kamui. Don't send Mama to attack if he is close or he will run up & kick you. Vs. Gen-An: If he does his little spin thing, block, and then on his downward spiral, mutsube into him (GROUND mutsube, air mutsube is not guaranteed to hit). Instead of blocking, you can also cr-D or cr-B to stop him, if he was far enough away. If he seems to be spinning a lot, try to use a Kamui to stop him. If he jumps towards you, AB. Don't forget to use cr-Ds. Vs Nakoruru Play defensively. She's as fast as you, remember. Plan, don't hack and slash, wait for her to make a mistake, then make her pay. If she is cr-ABing towards you, do cr-AB yourself. The one who started that move later won't get hit. You can stop her Kamui by doing an AB to slash her out of the air. Vs CPU: If you make feinting moves, she'll eventually try an Annu or a Kamui. All you need do is block these, then cr-AB. But if she spins off Mama instead, she'll usually do an Annu or Lela right after, so you have to be keep blocking then attack. Vs Charlotte If Charlotte continually jumps in on you, just push forward and AB strike. You will hit 90% of the time, and she will quickly learn not to do it. If she charges, an appropriately timed crouch CD will take her out. STAY OUT OF THE AIR unless you *know* she can't meet you there. She will take you down without a problem. Jump kicks can often counter her jumping AB slashes. Remember to counterattack with AB-Annu if she tries a power move & misses. Vs Ukyo Play defensively. Only jump in if you know you can at least connect, throw a lot if possible. Ukyo's slashes are kind of slow, so use cr-D a lot to "cancel" his moves. At a distance, you're toast against Ukyo. A human Ukyo may do his Tsubamegaeshi (swallow slice) too high. Take advantage & move in close to attack. Vs CPU: He likes to do his apple slicer quite frequently (esp. when time runs out). If so, block and do an Annu just when he finishes "slicing", not during as you will be hit. He has a recovery time after the apple- slicer. Also, a Kamui when he is doing his apple-slicer is quite effective. Vs Tam Tam Get in. Annu under his skulls. If you can't get close, you're screwed. Vs the CPU, jump behind him & throw (you MUST land close to him). Also send Mama to attack as he gets up, since he likes to spit his Ahau Gaburu at those times. AB if he jumps towards you. Be ready to do a Kamui or an Annu when he does his spinning moves. Vs Jubei Block, stay on the ground. Rush back and forth and look for an opening to Mutsube. Against his Hasso Happa(fast cutting): if far away use Annu, otherwise block & wait until you or he is pushed out of range then Annu. If he shoots his ground thing, try a B or AB (depending on the range) Lela. Use mama a lot (Amube Yatoro). Vs his charging upward slash, you could block & hurt him when he comes down. Vs Wan Fu Watch out for his big AB. Use cr-D a lot. Take advantage of his slowness. Hop back (tap twice back) to avoid his thrown sword then cut him when he comes down. Get ready to get him again when he tries to get his sword back. Vs CPU: Once he is quite close to you (not within striking range yet), do an AB Lela. He will most often block this and you will land on the other side of him. He will always do his slow "about turn" motion. So when you recover from the Lela, immediately do an A-Annu (A-button enough, so you'll have time to back away and possibly do a small damage with the bird attack as he gets up). Also, you can play defensive-counter attacking too. Reason is that Wan Fu's slashes are pretty slow and once you block them, immediately go for the Annu. Vs Amakusa Try getting ahead in damage, then make him keep jumping by pressing the slash buttons. Don't forget to block! There you have it, now go out & "Daishizen ni kawatte oshioki yo!" Punish them for Mother Nature! ==============================================================================