SNK VS. Capcom: Chaos/Character Mai Shiranui FAQ Started on: December 16, 2003 Latest Update: February 17, 2004 Version 0.9 By: GuardianE2000@juno.com This FAQ is copyright of GuardianE2000@juno.com. SNK vs. Capcom: Chaos and Mai Shiranui are copyrights of SNK and Playmore. This FAQ is for personal use only, and cannot be altered, printed or distributed for commercial reasons. Anyone who I find violating this will be punished to the full extent of the law. I. Who is Mai? A. History of Mai B. Why pick Mai? C. Character Bio II. Move Descriptions A. Normal Attacks B. Special Normal Attacks C. Special Techniques D. Super Techniques E. Exceed Techniques III. General Strategy IV. Future Additions V. Credits ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I. Who is Mai? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A. History of Mai Shiranui Mai has been in a host of SNK games, created as the general fan service girl and strong female character. She's been in: Fatal Fury 3, Fatal Fury: Real Bout 1 and 2, Fatal Fury Special, Fatal Fury: Wild Ambition, King of Fighters 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 2000, 2001, 2002, Capcom VS SNK, Capcom VS SNK 2, SNK VS Capcom Chaos, Gals Fighters, and Cardfighter's Clash. She has also been in two Fatal Fury short feature movies and the full length movie (check out the movie! It's awesome!). Check out these titles for more Mai! By far her strongest incarnations are the KOF 97 and 98 versions. B. Why pick Mai? Shiranui Mai is the lovable modern kunoichi with bounce. She's usually not considered a top contender, mostly due to some of her previous incarnations (in particular her toned down CvS version), and it will come to a great shock for a self-proclaimed expert to fall to Mai's speed and high priority moves. Besides, look at her. How could you say no to that face? Not only is she gorgeous, but she's seductive, bubbly, playful, and can cook. Too bad she's devoted to Andy Bogard. C. Character Profile Mai Shiranui- The Dance That Knows Not of Flames Nationality: Japanese Style: Shiranui Ryuu Ninjutsu Occupation: Modern ninja girl Birthdate: January 1, 1974 Eye color: Brown Hair color: Reddish brown Height: 164 cm Weight: 46 kg Blood Type: B Measurements: Bust 87 cm Waist 54 cm Hip 90 cm Hobbies: Cooking/ Making Bento (box lunches) Favorite Food: Ozouni (New Year's dish) Zouni (Rice cakes cooked with veggies) Best Sport: Badmitton Favorite Music: Heavy Metal Special Skill: Wasai (Japanese sewing) Likes: Andy Bogard Dislikes: Bears and Spiders ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- II. Move Descriptions: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A. Normal Attacks- Far Standing Weak Punch- General jab move with decent reach and good priority. Good for poking games. Mai reaches forward and stabs with one of her deadly fans. Far Standing Weak Kick- Standard quick kick to the head. Nice reach with her legs and helpful for starting combos or poking games. Far Standing Strong Punch- Mai gently swings her fan in an upward motion. Not very good reach and it comes out rather slowly. Can be used as an air counter in a pinch, but other moves are better options. Far Standing Strong Kick- Mai performs a quick step forward, attacking the opponent's feet/shins. This is a good surprise move and a stealthy approaching attack. One can easily follow this up with a few jabs or a throw. Near Standing Weak Punch- A downward slash with one of Mai's fans. Used mostly for comboing. Near Standing Weak Kick- Mai bends slightly and kicks low. Used mostly for comboing. Near Standing Strong Punch- A quick stab of the fan at an upward angle. Used mostly for comboing. Near Standing Strong Kick- Mai's very high kick. She spreads her long legs and extends one high in the air. Great position and awesome view, but used mostly for comboing. Up + Weak Punch- A simultaneous attack with Mai's fan and her foot at a downward angle. This is ideal for an opponent walking forward to attack. Typical air to ground with pretty good reach. Up + Weak Kick- Mai throws her "tail" and fan out horizontally from her body. This move has excellent reach, extending almost half the screen distance. She can easily knock jumping opponents from the air with this move. Up + Strong Punch- While jumping, Mai extends her arm upward with her fan down. Her knee is tucked with her lovely behind showing. Not a whole lot of uses, other than striking an opponent that is airborne and higher up the screen than you are, which doesn't happen often. Up + Strong Kick- Mai extends her leg out horizontally while throwing the rest of her body back. Although pretty, it doesn't have a whole lot of uses unless you want to do a little more damage than the Up + Weak Kick. The Up + Weak Kick still has greater reach and speed, though. Down + Weak Punch- Mai throws her "tail" out to strike while crouching. Good reach and poking. Comes out fast, like it's standing counterpart. Might want to be used in close quarters because it's faster than the Near Standing Weak Punch. Down + Weak Kick- Mai slips her leg out slightly in a short little kick. Reach is not particularly good. Should be used only in combos. Down + Strong Punch- Mai reaches behind herself in a powerful elbow to the lower region. No real decent range or speed. Should be used in combos, but nothing really more than that. Down + Strong Kick- Mai's characteristic sweep. She sweeps her leg back and kicks, flashing her behind and her butt giving a very cute jiggle. A fan favorite! Good reach and priority. It should be used every so often to keep a foe on his/her toes. Jumping Forward Weak Punch- Mai is positioned like a pouncing cat, her arm extended downward for an air to ground approaching attack. Jumping Forward Weak Kick- An odd move, Mai jumps forward with fan in mouth, hand on tail exposing her backside, and knee forward in a short aerial attack. There's not a whole lot of use for this move. Can possibly be used for an air to air attack, but the strong punch version is so much more effective and safer. Jumping Forward Strong Punch- Mai launches herself forward with a downward slash of her fan. Decent approaching move air to ground and can be more effectively used as an air to air attack. Jumping Forward Strong Kick- This move should be the primary jumping approach move. Mai stretches her foot outward and downward in a characteristic "flying kick" style. Great reach and priority. Excellent move to set up combos. Safe to use without a lot of room for punishment. Throw 1 (Weak Punch + Weak Kick)- Mai deftly grabs the opponent and flips over top of them, ending with an overhead toss. With this throw, the foe ends up on the same side that he/she was in relation to Mai before the throw. Throw 2 (Strong Punch + Strong Kick)- Holding herself up on one hand, Mai reaches up and grabs with her feet. She then flips the opponent down on the other side of her with a swift movement of her powerful legs. A nice looking throw. This reverses the position of Mai and her opponent. B. Special Normal Attacks- Forward + Weak Kick- Our lovely ninja executes a short hop forward, stretching out her one leg and flashing her fans behind her. This is another good surprise/approaching attack but it is rather slow on start up. The reach is further than the standard standing strong kick, though. Good thing about this move is that it is an overhead attack, meaning that a crouched blocking opponent will not be able to defend against it. Mix it up with your regular combos in order to possibly get an easy hit in. Down + Strong Kick (In air)- Mai flies downward at a 45 degree angle, attacking with her lovely ass. Who wouldn't want to get hit by this move? Reasons this is a useful attack? Not only does Mai look awesome while performing it, it's a great surprise move. While jumping back in supposed retreat, just push Down + Strong Kick and Mai will fly back down to attack again. Meanwhile, the opponent has already begun walking forward to punish you for running away. The move comes out surprisingly fast and has excellent priority over other moves. It can actually knock some general move counters out if timed right. Also, Mai flies a half screen's distance. The range on this move is superb. One last thing to commend is the recovery time of the move. If it is blocked, Mai actually bounces off of the opponent, landing safely a few steps away rather than right next to the just whiffed opponent. This is an infinitely safer position. Cross ups are definitely possible, so aim and let her fly! Wall Jump (When near a wall in the air, press up and away)- Mai can leap off of the wall and propel herself even further into the air and with a higher jump. This is good for escaping a corner trap. Taunt (the start button)- Mai places a hand on her hip and waves her fan at her opponent while saying, "Ora, ora!" ("Come on, come on!") winking playfully. Air throw (while in the air with your opponent, Weak Punch +Weak Kick or Strong Punch + Strong Kick)- This move really serves no purpose other than to earn style points. Since there is no air blocking, there's really no point in being able to throw someone in the air. The move does good damage, though and it looks nice. Mai grabs the enemy with her elbows and flips them under her so that they both crash straight to the ground, Mai comfortably on top. C. Special Moves- Ka Cho Sen (Quarter Circle Forward + P)- Mai tosses her fan at her opponent. Weak Punch version is slower and can be followed with a super jump. The fast version is good for pressuring the opponent into making a move. The move has a fairly slow startup, far slower than many other characters' projectiles, but it can be used in a pinch. Recovery time (where she pulls another fan from inside her outfit... where does she keep those anyway?) is pretty slow too, so use with caution. Ryu En Byu (Quarter Circle Back + P)- Mai makes a quick spin, striking with her tail set aflame. Both the Weak and Strong versions are fast, have good reach, and deal good damage. There is very little difference between the two versions. The strong one has the ability to hit twice (one with the spinning motion and the other with the flame). To be used as a good combo finisher. This move should be used a lot to pressure an approaching opponent or to follow up a jump in. Almost no start up and usually little recovery time since it pushes the enemy away. One should be wary about cornered opponents since they can still easily counter the move. Also an excellent counter to a whiffed attack on Mai. Did I mention that this move's flame can extinguish fireballs? Pretty sweet. Sayo Chidouri (Quarter Circle Back + K)- Mai launches a powerful, high priority downward fan slash. This move can be used to knock opponents out of the air or to keep the pressure on a cornered opponent since it has more range than the Ryu En Byu. Not to be used in close quarters, however. The fan attack will actually completely miss enemies who are too close. You wouldn't want to use this as a quick counter anyway since the start up is pretty slow, although execution is quick. Hakuro No Mai (Dragon Punch Motion + P)- Primarily can be used as a general move counter, this move whips out quickly and strike hard. Mai extends her arms and opens her fans while gracefully twirling and stepping forward. The strength of the button press will determine the duration of the move. Be careful about which version to perform, since Mai is vulnerable to attack during move. There is also a recovery time issue at the end, and so although the move does decent chip damage, it leaves Mai almost helpless. Good against aerial attacks and finishing a combo, but other moves are better. Just throw this one out as a surprise every once in a while for chip damage. Lacks the priority necessary to be a viable move in Mai's arsenal, but at the same time it can be used as a nice wake up move. Koshuu No Mai (Dragon Punch Motion + K) X 2- Mai leans back and winds up to perform a flying elbow attack. This move is surprisingly useful. Some may complain about the start up (where she rears back), but this proves to be a good way to counter a projectile. When she leans back at the beginning of the move, fireballs pass over her. She can then strike her target freely with no nasty fireballs in the way. Upon striking, you can perform another dragon punch motion with a kick for the second phase of the move, where Mai somersaults in the air, her tail set aflame. The second part of the move should almost always be performed, if not to add damage, but also to push a blocked opponent away. Only one circumstance would arise where you might not want to use the second part. One would be if the enemy was in the corner and the second move's recovery time would leave you open to attack. The weak punch version moved a little less than half the screen's distance. The strong punch version stretches just short of the entire screen. Hissatsu Shinobi Bachi (Half Circle Forward + K)- Mai rushes forward, rolling and then performing a flying elbow. In the weak kick version, it is possible to strike the opponent on start up, where she is rolling forward, and perform a 2 hit combo with the move. This version moves across the entire screen, but very slowly. The heavy kick version does not combo, but is fast and continues moving far past the screen's distance. This is one reason that you do NOT want this move blocked! This is not a move to throw out every once in a while. This is a move, that when used incorrectly, will get you beaten to a pulp. If this move is blocked, there is a lot of room for punishment on Mai. In her recovery time, she will end up right next to the opponent where all kinds of hell can be unleashed on her. If you use this move, make sure it connects. Great counter to ground fireballs though, since Mai flies over them during her attack. Musasabi No Mai (In air, Quarter Circle Back + P)- Mai stops in mid air and dives head first at an angle towards the opponent, fan in mouth. The strength of the button determines the angle that Mai dives. Strong Punch has slightly farther reach. Both only stretch about halfway across the screen. A good mix up move. Unexpected and fast and high priority. Deals massive damage. A few of these can even the score easily. It can become predictable and very punishable, however, so use it sparingly. If blocked, you'll want to follow it up with sometime fast and high priority like a crouching Heavy Kick. The best way to use this move is to make Mai hit the opponent's foot, so that if it connects, she'll deal the damage, but if she misses or the move is blocked, she's out of reach for many types of counters. On a side note, even though normally each character can only perform one attack while in the air at a time, Mai can perform two by striking with a normal air punch or kick and then quickly performing this move. She will, upon after hitting the enemy, perform this aerial nosedive. This can surprise many other players. D. Super Techniques- Mizudouri No Mai (Quarter Circle Forward X 2 + P)- Mai throws out three fans, the total damage being a little less than half of a life bar. The Super version of the Ka Cho Sen. Execution is fast and priority is good. The advantage of having a move with several projectiles instead of just one is that it is easier to hit an airborne opponent and a grounded opponent has to block longer. The bad thing is, hitting an airborne opponent will do minimal damage since it is likely only one of the fans will strike its mark. The move does give Mai plenty of breathing room, however, and can allow you to plan your next strategy. The slight delay on the third fan may confuse some fighters' timing when trying to jump over the attack. Overall, a good move to throw out there to give yourself time to think. Houou No Mai (Quarter Circle Back X 2 + P)- Mai launches herself up into the air and hugs herself. She descends at an angle, a spinning ball of flame. The range of the move is about half a screen's distance. For the most damage, the ideal spacing is about a quarter screen's distance away from a grounded opponent. The damage is less than that of the super Ka Cho Sen to a grounded one, dealing about 6-7 hits and less than half a life bar's damage. If Mai actually meets the opponent in the air, however, this move tears through the enemy's health bar with 10-11 hits. The timing is difficult to master and the damage is somewhat sporadic at times, but meeting an enemy in the air is not as difficult as one might think. In fact, the move can sometimes inadvertently coax an enemy to jump up to Mai in an attempt to knock her out of the sky. This results in a face full of fire for the foolish adversary. Also, this is the super to whiff an opponent with since the brunt of the damage is done during the first few hits. Recovery time's decent, but against a grounded blocking opponent, it's still bad news. Nice counter for projectiles since the beginning frames and Mai's launch seem to pass right through them. Preferred over the super Ka Cho Sen. E. Exceed Techniques- Hissatsu Shinobi Bachi (Quarter Circle Back, Half Circle Forward + 2 Kicks)- Exceed version of the Deadly Ninja Bees. This move's strong, fast, has good priority, catches airborne opponents (upon launch and descent), has invincible frames, and can evade projectiles. Very good properties here. The only issues are the lack of chip damage, which isn't a big deal, and the recovery time, which IS a big deal. This move was meant to hit and if it doesn't, Mai stands dangerously close to the opponent while she recuperates from her move. The move is fairly easy to time and combo into, so this really should not be an issue. Once you reach Exceed, you'll have to decide what will be more effective, two Supers or one Exceed. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- III. General Strategy ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- So, you wanna know how to play with Mai, huh? Don't we all. With some simple strategies, you won't be owning the arcade by any means, but you will at least have a feel to play Mai appropriately and do real damage to some fool's ego who thinks that Mai is one big joke. Mai doesn't have much of a long range game. Her only options are the Ka Cho Sen (which is not really recommended) and the Musasabi No Mai, which can be predicted easily if abused. Starting off the match, make sure to stay mid to close quarters to make the most effective use of her moves. This is where you dish out her expansive arsenal of specials and play some foot games. Most of Mai's mid game moves provide shelter with their priority and chip blocked opponents without any fear of retaliation. On the approach, Mai can use small jumps, but she really does need to watch out for a special move counter headed her way. The Down+Kick is extremely effective in the respect. If you land close enough, you can follow it up with a crouching hevy kick to push the blocked opponent back even further. Mai is not particularly a rushdown type of character, but she can certainly string together some nice combos. Her Ryu En Byu is extremely valuable in this respect. She can end any combination with this move and allow herself enough breathing room to get another combo going or back off to think. Simple, but quick and effective light punch/kick combos are Mai's best method of throwing out the Ryu En Byu. To start off a combo, dashing or the jumping Heavy Kick are good "in"s. Using a special move is often far too risky with Mai's usually horrible recovery time or the "push back/knockdown" feature. Mai's biggest weakness is her lack of a real general move counter. She doesn't have Ken's Shoryuken or Iori's Fireball. Her specials can be used to counter different approach moves, but none have that quickness and priority of a good anti air move. This is why it is important to constantly keep the opponent on his or her toes. Keep them blocking and trick them with Mai's mix-ups. This is the key to her success. When given the option of two Supers or one Exceed, which do you choose? Let's say the opponent is wide open and his stupid ass is hanging out waiting to be punished. If you think you can perform the motions fast enough, whip out that badboy Exceed. It'll hurt nicely. Let's say that you've been observing how the opponent has been playing and you really think that he/she plays strictly offensively and doesn't know how to block. Whip out two Supers, or better yet combo into them. Let's say you don't have a clear shot, but it could connect, and the other player is pretty good. Whip out two Supers if you're sure that you can time them well enough to not get countered. Don't be pressured to use a move at all. It's a shame to let it go to waste, but the mere fact that you are in MAX mode gives indication of your intentions and will make your opponent play more defensively. Mai is no Terry. She can't throw out Buster Wolfs without any fears. Her supers need to be used methodically and the spacing needs to be measured. Although Mai should definitely be played offensively, use caution with her rather poor recovery times. Take full advantage of some of her reach moves. You'll be handling Mai well in no time. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- IV. Future Additions ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Things soon to be added to the FAQ: ~Combo List (testing) ~Quotes ~Winning Poses ~Miscellaneous Information ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- V. Credits ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To Vincent/Willard at Hopkins. The place is where its at! To SNK for FINALLY making a Dark Ken (I refuse to call him Violent Ken)! To Gamefaqs for creating such a versatile and user friendly database! To MarimbaMadMike and FlashFire3296!