Street Fighter 3—Third Strike A Guide to Ibuki easye Version 1.5 Feb 2006 TABLE OF CONTENTS: ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Intro Contact Info C. Legend D. Useful Normal and Command Moves E. Throws F. Special Moves G. Super Arts H. Strategy I. Combos J. Vs. Strategies K. Miscellaneous L. Revision History M. Acknowledgements N. Copyright INTRO: ----------------------------------------------------------------------- This is my first FAQ, inspired by the absence of Third Strike Ibuki guides on the net. This guide is intended to help you kick butt with Ibuki but is also NOT intended to be a comprehensive FAQ on Ibuki or SF3 in general; it’s just my tips on whipping Ibuki’s competition. Yes, she was overpowered in the first two installments, but Capcom toned her down so much that she's now bottom-tier. Make no mistake, even if you're highly skilled, winning with Ibuki is a challenge. Fortunately, Ibuki is a fun character to master, which requires practice, lots of it. After all, being a Shinobi isn’t easy, but it sure is fun. CONTACT INFO: ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Any questions/corrections/comments/awesome combos, e-mail me at easye1540 (at) yahoo (dot) com LEGEND: ----------------------------------------------------------------------- JP jab SP strong FP fierce SK short FK forward RK roundhouse T towards D down B back U up P punch K kick USEFUL NORMAL and COMMAND MOVES: ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Here is a list of all command moves and some useful normal attacks. Crouching SP--changed from 2nd Impact. Almost stands up and lunges far arm. Comes out slow but has great priority and can combo into almost anything. Unfortunately, cannot be combo-ed into. B+SP simultaneously will cause Ibuki to punch upwards. Hits twice and thus makes a good air counter for semi-skilled parryers. Combo-able into a sweep. FP at a distance--Ibuki steps forward and lunges elbow into foe’s nether regions. Press FP again to make Ibuki punch Bruce Lee style. Good stun damage but slow start-up and mediocre recovery. Crouching JP or SK--your typical crouching weak attacks; they combo into all of Ibuki’s specials except the HIEN. They also poke well. T+SK is a kick to the shins. Slightly better range than normal SK. SP+FK--Ibuki’s universal overhead is probably one of the best because it’s quick and has good range. EVERYTHING FORWARD KICK: Crouching FK--Ibuki throws out the heel of her nearer leg. Average speed and priority, but good range. Use to poke. FK--Ibuki does a knee that’s short on range, average on damage, high on priority, and is the cornerstone of almost all her combos. This move combos into all of her specials, minus the HIEN, plus her two ground supers. Hits crouching opponents. DT+FK makes Ibuki slide forward in her jumping FK stance. Good range but puny damage and bad recovery time. Use sparsely for surprise value. B+FK will make Ibuki kick forward with her leg parallel to the ground. Has good range and speed but easily parry-able. T+FK causes Ibuki to hop forward and do an overhead kick. Really good move that leaves her invulnerable from most low attacks. Slight start-up lag but no recovery time. Tends to get parried if overused. Jumping FK--Good range and angle, extremely high priority. Can also use to cross-up. EVERYTHING ROUNDHOUSE: Crouching RK--Excellent recovery time for a sweep. A standing RK immediately afterwards will connect. Standing RK, in close--Ibuki will kick straight up for 2 hits, launching her foe for a juggle. Good damage. Useful against parry jump-ins. Also good after parrying an anti-air move. Standing RK--Ibuki leans back as she kicks at a 45-degree angle with good priority. Good air counter against far jumps and non-parrying opponents. T+RK--makes her hop slightly forward, doing a split kick in the air. Like the T+FK, this move comes in handy in footsie games because Ibuki will avoid most low attacks. For style points, you can evade fireballs with this move. Jumping RK--good for super jumps, when your opponent is under you, or when jumping straight-up. Not useful for jump-ins though. THROWS: ----------------------------------------------------------------------- JP+SK--Ibuki does a simple over-the-shoulder throw. If you hold back while doing this, Ibuki will switch sides with the opponent. Remember, throws are part of the game. Everything in a fighting game must have a counter, including blocking. (in the air) JP+SK--Ibuki does a throw that shares the same animation as her HIEN move. Use this against those who like to parry when jumping. SPECIAL MOVES: ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Yes, Capcom calls these super moves, but they're just trying to trick you. KUNAI (in air: D, DT, T, P): Ibuki throws a dagger. Strength of punch controls direction of dagger, with JP going almost vertically downward and FP going at about a 45 degree angle. Terrible priority--anything stronger than a sneeze will deflect the dagger. If you throw this while jumping in, your opponent's anti-air will likely deflect the dagger and hit Ibuki. Very weak--same damage as a JP. Slow speed--the dagger defies the force of gravity. I use this move only when jumping back to avoid pursuit by my opponent. You want to throw the dagger as late as possible so that Ibuki can safely land while your opponent is busy blocking/parrying/punching the dagger. EX--throws two daggers that are much faster than the regular ones but share the same priority; each one’s direction is determined by the punch buttons you pressed (i.e., if you pressed JP and FP, one dagger follows the JP direction and the other the FP direction). KUBI ORI (B, DB, D, DT, T, P): Ibuki slides forward, climbs atop her opponent, and breaks his or her neck. Strength of punch determines how far Ibuki slides, with the stronger buttons going further across the screen. Does decent damage and good stun and must be blocked low. It is quick, but the recovery time is terrible if blocked, and you will get super clobbered. Mostly useful to punish mistakes from halfway across the screen. You can also go under most fireballs with this, but you will need to slide before the fireball comes within sweep range or else Ibuki will not be low enough and get hit. If you’re getting pummeled in the corner, use this move to dash under them when they jump. Can also combo. EX--comes out very fast and reduces the recovery time. Ibuki cracks opponent’s neck 3 times, but not for 3x the damage. Great stun. TSUKIJI GOE (T, D, DT, P): she simply somersaults over foe (if near). Strength of punch controls how far Ibuki jumps, with the stronger buttons resulting in longer leaps. After peak of jump, Ibuki can throw the dagger or dagger super, limiting the use of this move. Good as an anti-wake-up move or after a combo to confuse your opponent. RAIDA (T, DT, D, DB, B, P): she grabs foe and blasts them to the other side of the screen with a glowing blue fist (you can see her hand smoking afterwards). Neutered since 2nd Impact, it no longer has start-up invincibility or deals insane damage. Strength of punch determines how far Ibuki slides before grabbing, but it is very short-range and very slow. Almost no recovery time if blocked and cannot be parried. Good stun, but not recommended for combos because the TSUMUJI is better. KYUU KAGE (D, DT, T, K): Ibuki dashes forward (...it at least looks cool). Length of dash depends on strength of kick, with the stronger kicks traveling further. Ibuki takes extra damage while dashing, and the recovery time is pathetic. TSUMUJI (D, DB, B, K): she releases her B+FK 2 or 3 times. Here’s the lowdown: SK gets 2 kicks, quick recovery time. RK gets 3 kicks, long recovery time. FK (always use this one) gets 2 kicks, but you can get an extra hit by pressing FK again. Recovery times for FK follow the SK and RK ones, depending on how many hits you attempted. Press down on the last kick of either a 2- or 3-hitter to end the move with a sweep. Sweep has the same recovery time as a 3-hit, but does not combo. EX--Ibuki kicks four times with excellent recovery time. Probably Ibuki’s most powerful EX move (if all 4 hits connect) and good block damage. Furthermore, Ibuki can make any hit after the first one EITHER a normal kick or a sweep, making this move a parryer’s nightmare. KAZEKIRI (T, D, DT, K): basically a dragon kick. SK and FK both hit 3 times while RK totals 4 hits. A good air counter, especially against those that like to parry when jumping in or those super-jumping in. EX--a more damaging version. Not quite sure how many times it hits though. Ibuki is also able to attack after peak of kick. See combo section for more. HIEN (B, D, DB, K): jumps toward foe, smacks ‘em twice with her feet, then leaps back, able to throw a dagger or dagger super. Must be blocked high, and the height and length of Ibuki’s jump depend on the strength of the kick, with the stronger buttons going higher and further across the screen. Does decent damage and can be comboed into the KASUMI. The SK one is useful during footsie games while the RK version is good anti-fireball. EX—-faster, slighly more damaging version. SUPER ARTS: ----------------------------------------------------------------------- I KASUMI SUZAKU (in air: D, DT, T, D, DT, T, P): Ibuki showers opponent with 20 daggers (that cannot be deflected). Keep pressing punch to make her throw all 20 daggers. JP comes out at about a 15 degree angle, SP is about a 30 degree angle, and FP launches at a 45 degree angle. Slow start-up but good block damage (and good regular damage). Nearly against turtles. Short super bar and can be stored up to 3 times; so if you’re EX-happy, this is the super for you. One funny thing about this super is the recovery time--you will recover slower if you connect, regardless of how many daggers you throw, leaving Ibuki more open than had the opponent blocked the KASUMI (the hit stun animation is shorter than the block stun animation). II YOROI DOUSHI (D, DT, T, D, DT, T, P): this super comes in two flavors. If done right next to the opponent, Ibuki does a pumped-up version of RAIDA. This version does excellent damage and is UNBLOCKABLE. However, you cannot combo this version. If done at a distance or in a combo, Ibuki fires a huge, red, immobile fireball that hits about 13 times, is BLOCKABLE, and does laughable damage. Obviously, you will want to use only the first version. The first version, however, is like a Hyper Bomb or Gigas Breaker with bad range--it's slow on the start-up, meaning your opponent can jump away before the grab connects. III YAMI SHIGURE (D, DT, T, D, DT, T, P): she throws 3 daggers at her opponent’s feet. If the daggers connect, Ibuki will dash across the screen 5 times, slicing her foe. YAMI must be blocked low, and the strength of the punch determines how far Ibuki throws the daggers, with JP thrown right next to her, FP at about 70% screen’s length, and SP somewhere in between. The super bar is rather short, yet this super can be stored only once. As you would expect from the short bar, this super isn’t great in the damage department. However, it’s absurdly FAST. Plus, check out your opponent’s stun meter after this move. It also passes through fireballs. The daggers cannot be negated by a fireball; and, if they connect, Ibuki passes thru the oncoming fireball, unscathed (this applies to super fireballs as well, plus Gill’s Meteor Shower!). Almost any blocked sweep can be countered with this move. Possible exceptions include Yun, Yang, Ibuki, and Gill. This super is also combo-able off a crouching SP or regular FK. Finally, a neat strategy with the YAMI: (after a HIEN) throw a dagger. When they block or parry it (or get hit by it), do the YAMI as soon as you land. While they’re busy parrying or blocking high, the YAMI hits their feet. STRATEGY ----------------------------------------------------------------------- The first thing you’ll probably notice (or noticed) about our ninja student is that she is WEAK. You’ve just pulled off two 5-hit combos and are comfortably in the lead...BAM...Ryu just walloped your scrawny Shinobi ass with a simple 3-hit combo, and now you’re the underdog. Playing with Ibuki means ALWAYS staying on your toes. Even if your foe has no life left and you have half of yours, stay on top of the game. NEVER let your guard down. On the other hand, Ibuki is FAST, second only to Yun and Yang. Many of her moves can travel almost a screen’s length in about a second, setting up for an aggressive, hit-and-run type fighting style. Ibuki also has more special moves than anyone else in the game, making her one of the most unpredictable and versatile characters in the game. Mastering Ibuki means mastering these 2 things: variety and combos. Ibuki’s greatest strength is the ability to MIX IT UP (block high/block low attacks), and her footsie game is among the best. Many opponents tend to block low against her, wary of the KUBI ORI, so make sure to use your overheads frequently. Here is a list of good footsie moves, with overheads marked by a star. DT+FK T+FK* T+RK SP+FK* TSUMUJI SK HIEN* Mastering parrying also greatly improves Ibuki’s hit-and-run style (especially when jumping in) works wonders for her offense. Many of Ibuki's moves, such as her jab, strong punch, and even her taunt, do an inordinate amount of stun. Some combos do decent damage but deal excellent stun. Keep an eye on your opponent's stun gauge to see if you should use one of these combos instead of primarily damage-dealing one. See combo section for more. Not only will Ibuki’s normal dash leave that cool shadow behind, but she also dashes THROUGH people (whereas all others stop in front of their opponent). Think of it as the roll from KOF, but without the invulnerability. Great to confuse and to escape corner traps. Ibuki’s regular jump is angled lower and travels farther than normal jumps to give her better opportunities for throwing her dagger. You should master her jump first because Ibuki jumps more than any other character (I’m not saying to jump indiscriminately here). Jump within the zone to keep Ibuki out of harm’s way. COMBOS ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Ibuki doesn’t have a bread and butter because she simply has too many combos. The following are the combos I use most often (and not a comprehensive list). Sure the following are simple, but they’re effective and landing the flashy, 12 hit combos is impossible in serious competition. Ibuki has many more combos than these. The important thing is to experiment; heck, I discover a new combo with Ibuki almost every week, having played her since NG! JP, SP, FP You must be in real close to pull off this chain. Ibuki’s FP changes to some weird chop to the face. You can also substitute a JP RAIDA for the FP. You can follow up this chain with almost any special or ground super. Crouching RK, Standing RK, FK Again, you must be in real close for all 4 hits to connect. Some people like to use another standing RK after the first one, but it doesn’t hit nearly as often as the FK. You can also replace FK with a KAZEKIRI. Whatever the last hit, timing it is critical. (They all do about the same damage, and I find FK to be the easiest to link.) SK, FK, RK Simple kick chain combo. However, because FK combos into anything and RK misses crouching opponents, substitute a special or ground super for RK. See jumping in deep combo for more possibilities. T+FK, Crouching JP, RAIDA A good mix-up combo. If they block, use a SK HIEN instead of RAIDA. Or, TSUMUJI to push ‘em away. You can also combo the YAMI off the T+FK. Close FP, Crouching RK, Standing RK (4 hits) Note that if you press RK too early, Ibuki will cancel the second hit of the FP and sweep. Decent damage but excellent stun. Jumping in FK, JP, SP Since you’ll be attacking mostly with FK in the air, you can usually peg these 2 punches afterwards, even if the FK was an early hit. You can link a YAMI after the SP for a 40% stun combo (the damage isn't bad either). You can also do a B+SP instead of a SP and then either sweep (and into a standing RK) or cancel the second hit of the SP into a special. Jumping in deep FP, FK, RK Ibuki’s best combo. The variations of this combo are endless because, again, FK basically combos into almost all of Ibuki’s moves. At the height of an EX KAZEKIRI you can cancel into a KASUMI SUZAKU. You can stick a SK before the FK as well, but it diminishes the damage of later hits. HIEN, KASUMI The HIEN is cancelled in this combo, limiting the damage of the KASUMI. Also, your opponent, especially if you’re near and facing towards the corner, may be able to hit Ibuki as she lands due to the screwy recovery time of the KASUMI. VS STRATEGIES ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Apply these to both computer and human opponents. When fighting the computer, I suggest super arts 1 or 3 because the AI has trouble blocking/countering these. AKUMA: The only opponent that has less stamina than Ibuki. He also has the shortest stun meter, so try to exploit that. Air-fireball crazy Akumas are easy to deal with--just use Ibuki's speed to move under him, throw or combo him when he lands. ALEX/HUGO: Ugh. One of Ibuki’s tougher fights. Avoid close-up encounters too often and completely if they have the HYPER BOMB/GIGAS BREAKER ready to go, or you could be spanked into the next round. You can try faking a combo then jumping after 1 or 2 hits to trick them into wasting their grab supers. Fight at a distance using daggers, TSUMUJI, and HIEN and stick to quick hit-and-runs. Punish whiffs (which the computer does a lot with these two) with EX KUBI ORIs. CHUN-LI: Most people play her as hit-and-run or turtle, so change strategies accordingly. She’ll probably be charging down a lot, so use your overheads. Unfortunately, she has a better footsie game than you. DUDLEY: This guy can out-prioritize you up close, so be on the defensive. His wake-ups are deadly, but Dudley has somewhat long recovery times, so he is easy to punish. Sweep, standing RK combo or YAMI after a blocked machine gun punch and RAIDA or EX KUBI ORI (or super) if he “whiffs” with a cross counter. ELENA: She is one of the few people who can match Ibuki’s speed and pokes. Brave Dance is fast and painful. KEN/RYU: Watch for fireballs and sweeps. If you counter these, you're halfway to beating the majority of Shoto players. Good players will make few errors, though, so try to bait them into these or a dragon punch. MAKOTO: This is a tough fight (complete with special intro) because Makoto can mess up regular hit-and-run tactics with her dash punch. Be wary of her post-dash punch game, including the grab and choke and supers. NECRO: Susceptible to footsie games and cross-ups. Don't underestimate him. ORO: Having trouble with his double jump? Jump back and throw a dagger or a FK. Don't forget about his EX-able supers. In case of the Tengu Stone super, run away. You’re much faster and can slide under his jumps. Note: Oro is Ibuki’s second to last boss. The computer will play Oro defensively to the point of frustration. Throw often. Q: Stay on top of him from the start. Try not to let him get any taunts in, and have an EX KUBI ORI or YAMI handy for when he does taunt from afar. Counter any jump-in attempts with a parry, then launch with RK. REMY: Watch out for his light of virtue-->cold blue kick pressure tactics. Counter by not parrying but instead jumping up and throwing a dagger (or KASUMI) as he arrives with the cold blue kick. Your jumping FK can sometimes trade against his flash kick. Avoid the corners. SEAN: Haven't really played against human Seans, but the computer falls into a predictable pattern with him. TWELVE: Same as Sean, haven't really played against human 12's. The computer likes to taunt often; punish. URIEN: Urien likes to crouch to set up his launcher and knee drops, so mix-ups work well. His fireballs have some lag time, making it easier to hit him with KASUMI or YAMI. Just watch out for the ones coming up to greet you. YUN/YANG: What pains in the ass. A round will take FOREVER because it’s basically a poking/chipping fight if neither player is dominant. Dealing with Yun and Yang can be difficult because they’re the only ones speedier than you are. Yuns and Yangs tend to be parry-crazy and love their long super meter supers. IBUKI: Beware KUBI ORI freaks. This can be an annoying fight, like the Yun/Yang battle. Try to look for patterns. GILL: Super strength and speed, topped off with Resurrection. His BLOCKED Angel super takes off 20%. Anyway, stay on the defensive for once, or you’ll get owned. If he knee drops (and he telegraphs that move from a mile away), run to just behind where he’ll land and then throw him. Constantly throw daggers at his feet and abuse HIEN (he rarely retaliates but sometimes he does meteor shower, which equals end of round). KASUMI is by far the best super, especially to stop Resurrection (or you can try letting time expire). YAMI, a distant second, will work when he’s at a distance throwing moves or fireballs out like an idiot, or to counter Meteor Shower if you’re quick enough. Good luck landing YOROI. MISCELLANEOUS ----------------------------------------------------------------------- COLORS: JP the usual beige; semi-camouflages Ibuki on her stage SP marine green FP ghoulish gray SK faded purple FK kick ass red RK deathly black JP+FK+FP mustard TAUNT: Ibuki hops forward and leapfrogs the opponent. If you look closely, you can see Ibuki take off her mask, smile, and wave at you before she lands. It is the ultimate “personal action,” because you have to hit the opponent to do it. If you're unsuccessful, then you've given your opponent a free super. If Ibuki connects, however, her next hit or combo will do 1.5x normal damage. This bonus will be cancelled once you finish hitting or comboing your opponent, or if you get before you even have a chance to. You can taunt as many times as you wish. WINNING POSES: Jeez, I don’t think any character in any fighting game has as many winning poses as Ibuki has. -Turns back, raises hand above head, and turns head to look at you. -Same one as above, except she disappears shortly afterwards. -Closes her eyes and brings hands together a la Liu Kang, appearing to meditate. -Cuts through her upper garment with her KUNAI, revealing her face and a sports bra (a la Women’s World Cup). She says something, smiles, and briefly turns her eyes towards the opponent then back to the camera. -Punches air Shotokan style, while her non-punching fist glows blue, like in RAIDA. -Disappears in puff of smoke and reappears in street clothes, hand on head or whistling. -Same as above but she’s whistling, and _ugh_ her boyfriend’s behind her. -Disappears, and a squad of raccoons runs across the screen. I think Ibuki is supposed to be the one with a colored ribbon around its tail, or that could be her pet from the original SF 3. -Removes her mask, and stares in wonder in the direction of her fallen foe. WINNING COMMENTS: “What a crazy graduation exam! Being a Shinobi isn’t easy...” “I can’t let anyone know that I wasted my time on a loser like you.” “Hey, I’ll tell everyone you put up a good fight, OK?” “Please don’t look! I need to change outfits and I’m outta bombs!” “That wasn’t the most efficient way to knock you out, but it worked!” “I’m sorry that went so quick, but a girl’s gotta have fun, too, you know!” ENDING: I don’t remember too much about it, but basically she graduates from Shinobi High and then heads off to college. She continues to study ninjitsu with the help of her "friend" but all she wants is to lead a normal life. REVISION HISTORY ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 1.1 Added table of contents; changed grades and added minor comments on some normal, special, and super moves; Added some to the strategy section and one simple and one flashy combo and corrected another; put Vs. strategies in alphabetical order; corrected info on her taunt; remembered some more winning poses; edited for grammar. 1.2 Mostly made some tweaks throughout the guide, reevaluating moves and making additional comments. Added a combo that I forgot to add last time (HIEN into KASUMI). 1.3 Made some final tweaking. 1.4 I decided to update the guide one last time to correct some move info and strategies that only worked in 2nd Impact and not 3rd Strike, plus I just heard it’s being released for the Dreamcast. If the Capcom deities would only be so kind to release it for the PS2, so that I can slack off even more at school. 1.5 As my first FAQ, it was painful to read, so I cleaned it up. Also changed email format to stop spam. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ----------------------------------------------------------------------- I got info on Ibuki’s personal action and checked the Japanese spelling of Ibuki’s moves against Kao Megura’s excellent Street Fighter 3: Third Strike FAQ. Thanks to Karixxa (Karixxa@aol.com) for info on the taunt being blockable. Thanks to Zensar (Zensar@yahoo.com) for info on being able to aim the KASUMI. Thanks to Fun Arcade in N’Awlins for carrying the game, whereas in Boston 2nd Impact is still a novelty. OK, so the MIT arcade has 3S, but I’m too lazy to trek over there. Thanks to Romes for providing the only challenge (in N’Awlins) to my Ibuki with his damn Makoto. COPYRIGHT: ----------------------------------------------------------------------- This guide is copyrighted (1999). If you copy the guide, please do not change anything.