The Prince of Tennis 2004 - Stylish Silver Guide By K. 10th July 2004 KC0086@homail.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ About ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ This guide is for people who have trouble utilizing the many characters of Prince of Tennis 2004 - Stylish Silver to their full potential. This guide will help you learn how to use each character's strength and special abilities to the fullest. I have no idea how some of the stats reflect the character abilities, but i put them in just for kicks. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Versions ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1.0 7 characters 10/7/04 Ryoma Echizen Shinji Ibu Akira Kamio Kaoru Kaidoh Takeshi Momoshiro An Tachibana Kunimitsu Tezuka 1.1 - Current. 5 characters added 19/7/04 Kippei Tachibana Syusuke Fuji Tetsu Ishida Sadaharu Inui Keigo Atobe ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Legal Junk ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Umm yeah, don't reproduce this guide without my permission. Yeah...Gamefaqs can use this guide... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Positioning reference ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ _________________ | | | | | |___________| | | | | | | | | | | | ------------------- | | | | | Front court | |_____|_____| | | | | | Mid Court |__|___________|__| Back court ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Techniques Rating reference ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1/5 - A practically useless technique, given the conditions, energy rating etc. 2/5 - A technique quite useless given the conditions of use 3/5 - A technique which is good provided it is used properly 4/5 - A good technique all round 5/5 - An ultra devastating technique (Fuji's 1st counter!) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Stats reference ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ These are the details of what the stats determine. They might not be exactly correct, so if anyone can find a better definition for them, contact me please. Ball speed - How fast your balls travel. Also accounts for serves. Ball weight - How much force you put in. Basically is a measure against grip. Also accounts for serves. Grip - The lower your grip, the easy your racquet will be hit out of your hands. Also, the lower your techniques gauge is, the easier your racquet will get broken. Movement speed - How fast you move. Agility - I THINK this is how much you slide. I personally don't think its a bad thing to have low agility, because your sliding seems to make you have longer reach. Spin - No idea. Taunt - This is how much of the opponents techniques gauge you deplete every- time you taunt (Select) them. Praise - This is how much of your yellow gauge fills up everytime you do you praise (L-Select). Concentration - This is how fast your yellow bar depletes when you use it. Recovery - I THINK this is how much delay you have between hitting the ball. People with low Wake up should not play at the net. Wake up - I THINK this is how fast you get up after you dive. Almost seems neglible if you ask me. Movement Sense - No idea. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Characters ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ (CH1) Ryoma Echizen --> Unlocks Shinji Ibu, Kunimitsu Tezuka (no points lost) Stats Ball speed - 3 Ball weighting - 2 Grip - 1 Movement speed - 4 Agility - 5 Spin - 3 Taunt - 5 Praise - 3 Concentration - 4 Recovery - 2 Wake up - 4 Movement sense - 4 - This guy has really weak grip, a heap of special moves, some of which are quite useless...Tennis skills are pretty good. With almost a technique for every situation, Ryoma is quite powerful with a full yellow bar. 4/5 Service Specials - L + R + A/B :: Twist Serve :: 3 bars A twist serve which will bounce to Ryoma's right or left depending on the A or B. This move will work against the computer up until hard, and similarly for human opponents, will only work against those who do not know how to counter it. To counter this technique, when receiving the serve, stand a bit above the service line. With a bit of luck, when the ball lands, your character should be able to return the ball (he might need to dive). Therefore it is important that when using this serve, you find a good angle to direct it to, and also, choosing the proper bounce direction is important. For instance, serve towards the right if you are serving from the left. If this technique is countered correctly, and hit forwards by the opponent, you basically lose the point. 3/5 Play Specials - L + R + A :: Buggy Whip Shot :: 4 bars A shot which will make the ball curve to Ryoma's left if hit on the forehand, right if hit on the left hand. For 4 bars of energy to do something that Kaoru Kaidoh can do for 2 bars, makes this technique suck. The fact that you can do Zero Shiki Drop Shot for the same amount of energy makes this move suck even more. 2/5 - L + R + B :: Zero Shiki Drop Shot :: 4 bars A drop shot that will roll backwards the moment it lands, which means, the moment it lands, the point is basically yours. A very deadly move, however sometimes may hit the net resulting in a court ball. Much more useful than the Buggy Whip shot, performing this technique at the net is recommended. 4/5 - L + R + A :: Drive A :: 4 bars Not something you can do all the time. Only performed if the opponent is at the net, and the ball has only started to travel into your court. Ryoma will 'fly' over to the ball and return it with a powerful drive, has good potential to break opponents grip. However, if he doesn't return the ball, it goes out most of the time. 1/5 - L + R + B :: Drive B :: 4 bars Like Drive A, the conditions required to perform this technique is difficult to meet. Ryoma will dash to the ball and return it with a shot which will bounce and make a B shape. Rather useless in doubles, but quite deadly against a net opponent. 3/5 - L + R + A/B :: Twist Smash :: 3 bars Can only be performed when opponent lobs the ball. This move is auto-tracking, making it look heaps cool if the lob is performed on the other end of the court. Ryoma will jump and 'fly' towards the ball, smashing it down and making it bounce perpendicularly. Extremely hard to return, therefore, having it bounce towards the closer sideline potentially seals off any chances for the opponent to return the smash. 5/5 Service Return Specials - L + R + A :: Super Rising A :: 2 bars Echizen will dash towards the ball and return it at an angle of your choosing. Quite a good return, your opponent most likely wont reach the ball in time unless he serves from the middle, and usually passes through the opponent at the net in doubles, usually. 4/5 - L + R + B :: Super Rising B :: 2 bars Like Super Rising Low, except the ball is launched higher, having more air time, resulting in this return becoming quite easy to return. However, it will be launched above the opponent standing at the net in doubles, so its useful if the serving opponent decides to run to the net after the serve. 2/5 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ (CH2) Shinji Ibu --> Unlocks Akira Kamio Stats Ball speed - 2 Ball weighting - 3 Grip - 3 Movement speed - 4 Agility - 3 Spin - 5 Taunt - 2 Praise - 1 Concentration - 4 Recovery - 5 Wake up - 3 Movement sense - 4 - Mediocre character, OK stats, I personally hate using him because he has no useful specials. However, he is good at doubles if you team him up with a character good at breaking grip. I'll explain later. 2/5 Service Specials - L + R + A :: Kick Serve :: 3 bars They called it kick serve in the anime, and yes, its like Echizen's Twist Serve however its slower, the angle of the bounce seems less dreadful and is easily returned, putting you in a disadvantageous position. Bounces to his right. Almost useless. 2/5 - L + R + B :: Kick Serve Fake :: 3 bars Instead of bouncing to his right, it bounces forward normally. You'd have to be pretty crap to get fooled. 3 bars of energy for a normal serve? USELESS 1/5 Play Specials - L + R + A/B :: Spot :: 4 bars Although this move breaks the grip most definitely if you try to return it, the conditions to do this move are rather stupid. You have to mimic the anime and do a topspin (L + A), then a slice (L + B), then a topspin, then a slice, then you can do the technique (Shinji will flash red). In doubles, if anyone else intercepts the ball during topspin/slice returns, you need to do it all over again. USELESS 1/5 - L + R + SELECT :: Boyaki :: 1 bar After a torrent of crap moves, this one is actually worth your while. Shinji will taunt and remove all the energy from your opponents Techniques Gauge. However, while he performs the taunt, he will be a sitting duck. Which is why, this technique, rocks for doubles, especially when teamed up with people that have grip breaking techniques, such as Takashi Kawamura or Ishida Tetsu. The thing to do is, have them perform a grip breaking move (the Hadoukyuus) and use Boyaki just before the opponent tries (if they are daring enough to try) to return the ball. Reducing their Techniques Gauge puts them in immediate danger for grip break, and since the technique is a Hadokyuu, chances of grip breaking is very high. A sure win strategy against the computer, and should work well against human players. 5/5 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ (CH3) Akira Kamio --> Unlocks Kaoru Kaidoh, Takeshi Momoshiro (no points lost) Also unlocks An Tachibana when teamed up with Takeshi Momoshiro Stats Ball speed - 3 Ball weighting - 1 Grip - 2 Movement speed - 5 Agility - 4 Spin - 3 Taunt - 3 Praise - 3 Concentration - 5 Recovery - 4 Wake up - 2 Movement sense - 3 - Akira is a good character to play with, whether in singles or doubles. To use him effectively requires a bit of skill, as his specials aren't all too dangerous. His high movement speed is a key to his victory strategies. 5/5 Service Specials - L + R + A/B :: Quick Serve :: 2 bars This serve is potentially useless, might work against a sleeping human opponent but other than that, its pretty easy to return and the return won't be in your favor either. Stay away from it. 2/5 Play Specials - L + R + B :: Nitro Acceleration :: 1 bar (can return serves) This technique is very good when used with strategy. The technique itself isn't too special, a normal return though once it bounces, with travel at a greater speed, and won't bounce as much either. Since its only 1 bar, it is very good for a cross court shot, with the ability to hit it at a much greater angle than a normal return. Many possiblities for using this technique. 5/5 - L + R + SELECT :: Speed Ace :: 1 bar As if Akira ain't fast enough already. This taunt makes him move at insane speeds allowing you to return just about any ball without the need to dive for them. Unfortunately, if you use this special, your techniques gauge won't increase for the duration of the point. If it is reduced to a low level, you may get your grip broken. I personally don't think this move is too useful since Akira is pretty damn fast already. 3/5 - L + R + B :: Sonic Bullet :: 3 bars This move will take precedence over Nitro Acceleration if you perform it before the ball has bounced. A useful auto tracking move. Akira will run to the ball and return it like Nitro Acceleration, except the ball will also be invisible after it bounces (its still there, just that you can't see it). For 3 bars of energy it seems a little hefty but is a great saving technique when you are in a pinch. Great for cross court returns too. Use it like Nitro Acceleration. 4/5 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ (CH4) Kaoru Kaidoh --> Unlocks Kentaroh Aoi. Also unlocks Sadaharu Inui when teamed up with Ryoma Echizen Stats Ball speed - 1 Ball weighting - 2 Grip - 4 Movement speed - 2 Agility - 1 Spin - 4 Taunt - 4 Praise - 3 Concentration - 5 Recovery - 4 Wake up - 2 Movement sense - 3 - My favorite character. Although his the strength of his stats are rather perculiar (Concentration is needed in doubles I think.) and his specials aren't too great, used correctly Kaoru possesses heaps of style and fun to play with. 3/5 Play Specials - L + R + A :: Snake :: 2 bars (can return serves) Must be performed in the mid court area. The Snake is his most basic special, and for 2 bars of energy, comes with a large variety of possibilties. Against the computer, used incorrectly this move is a disaster. If you do the Snake with a forehand, it will curve towards hisleft. If done on a backhand, it will curve to the right. Opponents that try to counter the snake too early have a high chance of hitting it into the net. This move is best against non-speedy characters. 3/5 - L + R + B :: Boomerang Snake :: 2 bars (can return serves) Must be performed in the mid court area. The Boomerang Snake is a OK counter- measure against people playing at the net and also effective as a return for a serve. Opponents will usually need to react quickly to run back beyond the baseline to return the ball, allowing the return to be advantageous for you. Performing this technique at the tip of the service line will give it the greatest effect, as the ball will travel the least distance. 3/5 Baseline Specials - L + R + A :: Viper Dive :: 2 bars This can only be performed when the opponent does a dropshot. Kaoru will dash to the ball and return it with a Snake which doesn't seem to curve much. Rather useless as there rarely seems to be a chance to use it. 2/5 - L + R + B :: Cobra Lob :: 4 bars (can return serves) A fast lob that will zig zag through the air and plummet down. The fact that it zig zags makes it take longer to travel, and also for 4 bars of energy this technique is totally useless. OK against human players. Looks cool too. 1/5 Net Play Specials - L + R + A :: Diamondback :: 1 bar This is where Kaoru really shines. For 1 bar of energy this move auto tracks and will do a Snake shot, however you can not choose whether to use backhand/ forehand return. An extremely good technique as it allows you to pressure your opponent at the net whilst making them run to far ends of the court. Their return will usually be in your favor. 4/5 - L + R + B :: Short Snake :: 1 bar If the ball reaches his reach vacinity, Kaoru will perform a Snake which seems to travel higher than normal. The curve direction again depends on your forehand/backhand. This move is extremely useful in doubles as it will travel above and out of reach for anyone at the net, which bascially means, you only will need to worry about curving the ball away from the baseline opponent, as the opponent at the net most likely cannot reach it. Useful in doubles for mixing up the opponents teamwork, not as effective for solo play. 4/5 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ (CH5) Takeshi Momoshiro --> Unlocks An Tachibana when teamed up with Akira Kamio. Also unlocks Mukakhi Gakuto when teamed up with Eiji Kikumaru. Stats Ball speed - 4 Ball weighting - 5 Grip - 2 Movement speed - 3 Agility - 4 Spin - 1 Taunt - 5 Praise - 2 Concentration - 1 Recovery - 3 Wake up - 2 Movement sense - 3 - A good all round character, good for beginners to use. His stats allow him to have prolonged rallies to stash up the Technique Gauge to finish off with a Jacknife. 5/5 Play Specials - L + R + A :: Dunk Smash :: 2 bars Lob return. Quite deadly when pointed the right way. The weak version is performed when you are in the mid court area. Takeshi will auto track the ball. Looks damn cool. Angle is a little crap however. 4/5 - L + R + B :: Dunk Smash Fake :: 2 bars Lob return. Will appear to do the Dunk Smash however will do a drop shot type return instead. Good only if your opponent is behind the baseline. Since you can use Dunk Smash for the same amount of energy, this technique isn't that good. 2/5 - L + R + A :: Jacknife :: 3 bars (can return serves) Takeshi hops into the air and smashes the ball at any angle you like. Fast and difficult to return, breaks a few racquets once in a while too. This technique is what makes Takeshi so powerful in singles. The general game strategy is to hold off your opponent until you get your 3 bars of energy then finish it off with a Jacknife. Must be performed on Takeshi's backhand. 5/5 Net Play Specials - L + R + A :: Super Dunk Smash :: 3 bars I think this move is unreturnable normally, probably why it takes 1 extra energy bar. Very useful in doubles. 5/5 Doubles Specials - L + R + SELECT :: Huh? :: 4 bars A doubles taunt that requires you to be losing before you can perform it. Takeshi, will talk to his teammate and cause your opponents to lose all their yellow bar. However, the funny thing is you can do serve while this move is still in effect. An ok technique. 3/5 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ (CH6) An Tachibana --> Unlocks Kippei Tachibana Stats Ball speed - 2 Ball weighting - 2 Grip - 1 Movement speed - 2 Agility - 3 Spin - 2 Taunt - 3 Praise - 3 Concentration - 3 Recovery - 4 Wake up - 2 Movement sense - 2 - For starters, judging by her stats you can basically say whether she is good or not. However, her 2 specials can boost her ratings a bit higher as they are quite deadly, and don't require too much skill to use either. 2/5 Play Specials - L + R + A/B :: Feather Drop :: 3 bars An will do a drop shot which travels through the air at snails pace. However, I don't think this technique is returnable by normal means, therefore, you will need to use a special to counter it, and also performed at a correct time as it may hit the net. But then again, given the speed of this special, having a special handy to counter it is not mean feat, giving you plenty of time to smack the ball back at her. You need to be in fron to of the baseline to perform this technique. 4/5 Service Return Specials - L + R + A/B :: Apricot Return :: 3 bars A move much similar to her brother Kippei Tachibana's Return and is just as deadly. An will repel any serve with a powerful high speed shot to an angle of your choosing. If you are playing against her, its best to serve near the center and prepare to dash too. Has a good chance to break grip. 5/5 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ (CH7) Kunimitsu Tezuka --> Unlocks Keigo Atobe (no points lost), Also unlocks Syusuke Fuji when teamed up with Ryoma Echizen. Stats Ball speed - 4 Ball weighting - 4 Grip - 1 Movement speed - 5 Agility - 4 Spin - 5 Taunt - 4 Praise - 4 Concentration - 4 Recovery - 4 Wake up - 2 Movement sense - 4 - This guy's stats are ultra deadly, and so are his skills. However due to his low grip, he can usually be beaten by R.K.O. so all in all, he aint too scary. 4/5 Service Specials - L + R + A :: Serve :: 4 bars A typical speedy serve, good against humans, and will only work against hard computer opponents when served like so; if you are serving from the left, stand at the middle and aim dead right. Should ace nicely. 3/5 Play Specials - L + R + B :: Zero Shiki Drop Shot :: 4 bars A drop shot that will roll backwards the moment it lands, which means, the moment it lands, the point is basically yours. A very deadly move, however sometimes may hit the net resulting in a court ball. 4/5 - L + R + SELECT :: Tezuka Zone :: 2 bars This move will make all normal returns direct towards Kunimitsu AFTER you return the ball once. May seem very powerful but keep in mind that you will not gain any Techniques Gauge increase whilst you perform this technique, and also, specials will not be returned directly to you. The biggest problem with this special is performing it when your Techniques Gauge is maximum, leaving your Techniques Gauge at a low point afterwards will cause you to lose grip extremely easily. 1/5 Baseline Specials - L + R + A/B :: Corner Shot :: 1 bar This move is TOO good. Kunimitsu will hit a fast return right to the corner of your choosing (a or b) for only 1 bar of energy! A great killer all round. Just make sure you dont hit it directly at your opponent or his return can be jus as fast as yours. 5/5 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ (CH8) Kippei Tachibana --> Unlocks Tetsu Ishida. Stats Ball speed - 3 Ball weighting - 4 Grip - 4 Movement speed - 5 Agility - 4 Spin - 4 Taunt - 4 Praise - 3 Concentration - 3 Recovery - 3 Wake up - 1 Movement sense - 4 - Great stats. Very good all round player. I'd say he is better than Tezuka because he has the same deadly drop shot and a devastating service return too. Good for singles. Quite average for doubles though. I don't seem to like using Kippei much. Too much stalling is required against a good opponent as his specials dont come cheap. 4/5 Play Specials - L + R + A/B :: Silent Drop :: 4 bars Silent but very deadly. Like the Style Zero Drop Shot that both Ryoma Echizen and Kunimitsu Tezuka have, this drop shot will end the point the moment it touches. Its a bit slow however, so all is not lost if this move is performed. May hit the net at times and resulting in a court ball. 4/5 Service Return Specials - L + R + A/B :: Return :: 4 bars A powerful return geared into a direction of your choosing, happens in a flash. Choosing the right direction will almost definitely win you the point, however, seems to suck in doubles. 4/5 Baseline Specials - L + R + A/B :: Dash Volley :: 3 bars Looks heaps cool, Kippei will dash to the ball and smack it heaps hard, again, seems quite useless in doubles apart from the fact its good for saving your ass if you are in a pinch. 3/5 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ (CH9) Syusuke Fuji --> Unlocks Jirou Akutagawa (no points lost), Unlocks Eiji Kikumaru when teamed up with Syuichiroh Oishi, Unlocks Kojiroh Saeki when teamed up with Eiji Kikumaru. Stats Ball speed - 3 Ball weighting - 3 Grip - 2 Movement speed - 3 Agility - 4 Spin - 5 Taunt - 4 Praise - 4 Concentration - 2 Recovery - 5 Wake up - 3 Movement sense - 4 - Ok looking at the stats he doesn't seem to live up to his name as the 'Tennis Prodigy' of Seishun Gakuen however, I'd say he is one of the best characters in the entire game just because of his Swallow special techniques. Heavy taunting is recommended when vsing Syusuke. 5/5 Service Specials - L + R + A :: Vanishing Cut :: 3 bars This move is just like Shinji Ibu's Kick serve, except that Syusuke will serve underarm and the ball will dissappear on bounce! Not to worry, the ball travels quite slowly and will bounce right, so the same strategy applies for countering these weird twisting balls. Stand on the service line when this move is in preparation and prepare to lunge for the ball when it bounces. With a bit of luck you should be able to hit a very favorable return crosscourt. 3/5 - L + R + B :: Vanishing Cut Fake :: 3 bars Like the Kick Serve Fake this serve will be a normal slow serve, however the dissappearing act will still happen. The ball DOES seem to be un-hittable when it is invisible however. Never tested it out much, since it never worked against me much. 2/5 Play Specials - L + R + A :: The Swallow Return / The Hatching Swallow :: 2 bars Abuse this technique. Use it. All the time. Make sure you win every point with it. One of the BEST techniques in the game. Must be hit by Fuji on the forehand or else you will spell doom. Fuji will hit a seemingly normal return, perhaps a little faster than normal returns, but upon bouncing, will travel very closely to the ground. Any attempts to hit the ball must be done with a lob, or the ball will most definetly hit the net. Furthermore, after the first bounce, the second bounce will happen soon after leaving almost no time to reach the ball. And since this is a special technique, the angle is usually better, allowing you to hit crosscourt easily. Whats even better is that if this technique is performed against a lob, topspin or slice, the moment the ball lands, it won't bounce at all, winning the point instantly. TAKE NOTE: this technique must be activated on Syusuke's forehand. 5/5 - L + R + A :: Higuma Otoshi :: 4 bars A smash return. Syusuke will track the ball and return with a lob right to the baseline. The animation looks damn cool. The technique isn't unstoppable however caution is required as the ball does travel quite fast. A little too hefty on the energy though. 3/5 - L + R + A :: Hakugei :: 2 bars And the reason why I keep telling to hit the Swallow returns on a forehand is... THIS!!! This move, undoubtly, has the weirdest strings attached to it. First it must be hit on Syusuke's backhand. After it is performed, Syusuke can not move. The ball will fly in a weird updraft motion, and when it reaches the baseline, will plummet straight down. After the ball lands, it will fly back towards Syusuke's hand. Against a hard computer opponent, they would return this 3/4 of the time. And the ball will be travelling at high speeds. Since you can't move...well good luck. The ball itself is extremely difficult to hit. Good against human opponents but I can't understand why anybody won't want to use the Swallow returns over this. Unreliable but quite deadly. 3/5 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ (CH10) Tetsu Ishida --> Unlocks Takashi Kawamura Stats Ball speed - 1 Ball weighting - 5 Grip - 4 Movement speed - 2 Agility - 2 Spin - 4 Taunt - 1 Praise - 5 Concentration - 2 Recovery - 2 Wake up - 5 Movement sense - 3 - For starters, I don't really understand how a ball can be weighty and slow at the same time, but, what the hell, this guy is a racquet breaking machine. Cheap, very cheap. Using his techniques and tennis skills to his full potential can potentially murder most people in the first game of the match. With a Praise of 5, you should abuse it =). 5/5 [if you are cheap, 4/5 if you arent't] Play Specials - L + R + A :: HadouKyu :: 4 bars Tetsu's famous HadouKyu. Although Takashi Kawamura has this move too, I rekn Tetsu's version looks better. Tetsu will hit a powerful (yet slow) moving ball surrounded by an aura of light. This move has incredible grip breaking potential, and can break the grips of people like Ryoma Echizen even if their techniques gauge is at lvl 4! Since this move is hefty to use, try and use it for countering an opponents technique or when they will have a low techniques gauge. Since Tetsu's Praise skill is incredibly high, abuse this move when you have a full yellow bar. To counter cheap players dat abuse the HadouKyu, try and lob the ball to Tetsu to force him to use his Bakuresai smash technique, although both seem just as deadly. Also, keep your techniques gauge high and try not to hit the ball till it is just about to bounce its second time, and obviously, don't hit it unless you necessarily have to, a point or two lost is better than a racquet. Taunt him excessively. 5/5 - L + R + B :: SoutenKyu :: 2 bars Tetsu will lob the ball into the sky and it will land right on the baseline, bouncing really high afterwards. The move isn't bad for 2 bars of energy, not totally devastating as it's not too fast, but wins you the point most definitely if you can get it to bounce. Seems to break a few grips too. 4/5 - L + R + A/B :: Bakuresai :: 2 bars Tetsu's lob return. He will track the ball and smash it down to the ground (I'm running out of ways to rephrase these type of techniques -_-"). The ball seems to go slower than a normal smash but the it will get stuck to the ground if it lands, winning the point instantly. Since its slower than normal, its not too bad to counter, but hey, a tracking smash technique for 2 bars of energy is always good. 4/5 - L + R + A :: Reppusan :: 4 bars Ok, this move is a little hard to pull off, but its one of the only moves in the game where u can say 'instant death' if you pull it off right. Reppusan needs to be performed after the opponent has returned a ball, but before it crosses the net, and Tetsu needs to be behind the baseline. For the technique to work, the ball must be on the same vertical line as Tetsu, otherwise the technique is considered to have 'missed'. Now here is what happens. Tetsu will call out Reppusan and a aura of brown swirls will emit from him. If you don't 'miss', the ball will be repelled in mid air back into your opponents court! Reppusan does not count as if you hit the ball, so when the ball is repelled back it counts as though the opponent hit a ball in his own half of the court, and cannot get it over the net. A very cheap and fun move to use when you are on yellow! 4/5 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ (CH11) Sadaharu Inui Stats Ball speed - 4 Ball weighting - 4 Grip - 3 Movement speed - 4 Agility - 4 Spin - 3 Taunt - 3 Praise - 3 Concentration - 3 Recovery - 2 Wake up - 3 Movement sense - 4 - In terms of stats and skills, I'd say Sadaharu seems like a more boring version of Takeshi Momoshiro. This guy is a bit of an allrounder, with a special skill in each category, but the skills itself aren't all that spectacular. 4/5 Service Specials - L + R + A/B :: S.S.S. :: 2 bars A very fast serve where the ball seems to disappear before it bounces, and makes some sort of blue explosion in the ground when it does. Not very hard to return, and the return might not even be in your favor. To work this against the computer, on hard that is, stand in the middle and serve to the court edge. Usually works. Against humans, really depends on the opponent. No so useful. 2/5 Play Specials - L + R + A/B :: D.R.S. :: 4 bars A lob return. Meaning that Sadaharu will jump into the air and smash the ball. However, this technique is a little more innovative than the other smashes. By holding onto A or B, when Sadaharu reaches the ball, he will pause in mid air. So will everyone else. Now you get a full 3 seconds to determine where you will plant your smash. The aiming feature doesn't really make this technique any more useful than it is, but a smash lob return is always good. However, I personally would stay away from using this technique because Sadaharu's Smash Ace picture is rather disgusting. 4/5 Net Play Specials - L + R + A/B :: D.A.E. :: 3 bars This is one of the rarer net play returns that allows you to counter normal returns and also lobs. Which ever return your opponent does at you, Sadaharu will slide towards the ball and hit it back, with normal return or smash. The return version is rather useless apart from the angle in which you can hit it at.The smash version seems to do a bit more damage and breaks a racquet or two once in a while. This move will take precedence over D.R.S.. 3/5 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ (CH12) Keigo Atobe --> Unlocks Munehiro Kabaji, Taroh Sakaki (no points lost) Stats Ball speed - 4 Ball weighting - 5 Grip - 3 Movement speed - 3 Agility - 4 Spin - 1 Taunt - 5 Praise - 4 Concentration - 4 Recovery - 3 Wake up - 3 Movement sense - 4 - His not captain of Hyotei for nothing. Great tennis skills and with some of the coolest specials in the game. Took me a while to figure out how to use most of his techniques though. Winning with Keigo demonstrates heaps of skill and style. 5/5 Service Specials - L + R + A/B :: Prelude to Despair :: 3 bars The A version will make Keigo do a topsin serve, and the ball will travel faster after bounce. THe B version will make him do a backspin serve, and the ball will slow down and barely bounce at all after it lands. Both serves are ok techniques, fun to play mind games with a human player. However, they are not too useful really. 2/5 - L + R + SELECT :: Insight :: 2 bars This isn't actually a serve, but can only be done when you during serve. Also Keigo will need to have lost a point due to a special technique before this technique can be used. Reduces opponent's Yellow bar to zero. In doubles this move cannot be done unless you are serving or recieving serve. 5/5 Play Specials - L + R + A :: Bigi: Pattern A :: 4 bars After hours of playing, I still can't say that I know the definite conditions to use this technique, however I do know that this move must be performed on Keigo's backhand. Keigo will hit a court ball. Seems dull ey? However, if an opponent returns it, it will be a lob, and Keigo will finish it off automatically with a jumping smash, which will not count as a Smash Ace even if you win the point. The court ball is lovely, and usually wins the point most of the time, however, if your opponent can return the court ball, your angle for smashing isn't very good, and can usually be returned most definitelylosing the point for you. Not very useful. Looks really cool though. 2/5 - L + R + B :: Bigi: Pattern B :: 4 bars Ahh, the more useful version. Must be performed on his forehand. Keigo will hit a faster return down the court. If it is returned, it will be a lob, and Keigo will finish off the lob with a smash (yes its a Smash Ace this time), since the technique hits the ball deep, you will have a full court ready for you to hit the ball. Very cool. However, you can't always seem to use it though. 4/5 - L + R + A/B :: Switch Blades :: 2 bars This technique can only be performed as a volley return when the opponent is at the net. This technique is a little hard to do on most normal returns played at the net because the flash time is very short, but is very good against net play specials. Keigo will track to the ball and hit it like Takeshi Momoshiro's Jacknife. This move can also break grip quite well. Like I said, since it is very difficult to perform this move against normal returns, try vsing a character like Jirou Akutagawa, since his specials are performed at the perfect conditions for this technique. 5/5 Net Play Specials - L + R + A/B :: Rondo to Destruction :: 4 bars This technique is undoubtly the coolest in the entire game. It adds insult to injury, and is massively devastating. Unfortunately, it is also very difficult to be performed. This special is a lob return, however, I think it depends on where the opponent is standing to be able to do this move. Also, the flash time is short. The opponent needs to be standing near the service line, but not in the net area. The lob will also need to pass above you without Keigo having to move to the ball much. If you are lucky and you can pull this move off you will win the point a happy man/woman. Keigo will jump and smash the ball...into the opponents racquet! But thats not all. The ball will be returned up into the air and he will jump and smash it again to win the point! Be careful to hit the ball elsewhere afterwards since the opponent seems to 'pick up' his racquet straight after, and if he can return the second smash, I don't think it counts as his racquet breaking. Damn cool. 5/5 Doubles Specials - L + R + SELECT :: Solo Trust :: 1 bar Before the serve is made, Keigo can perform this move and will then...sit down. You teammate will get a boost in his stats. Not grip however. Be careful not to use this move to reduce your techniques gauge to a low lvl, or else he will get his grip broken easily. In fact, don't use this move at all because two players will almost definitely beat one. 1/5 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------