The King of Fighters 2002 Kula Diamond FAQ v. 1.0 Written by: A. Caparaotta II (a.k.a., ketsudan hyougashimo, a.k.a., Korigama) e-mail: nocturnalights@sbcglobal.net ########################################################### /Disclaimer/ This FAQ was written for only GameFAQs.com to post. If you wish to post it on your site, contact me to ask for my permission beforehand. The King of Fighters 2002, as well as all characters and related factors are copyrights of SNK Playmore. ########################################################### /Contacting me/ If you wish to forward additional information, or to discuss the FAQ itself, send an e-mail to the specified address with the subject heading titled along the lines of Kula FAQ. Irrelevant e-mails are discouraged, as are e-mails not written using proper English, in addition to mindless and/or obscene e-mails (I rarely use e-mail as is, so be sure that it's worth my time). Contributions made will be credited accordingly in future revisions, so don't expect any replies via e-mail. ########################################################### /History/ v. 1.0 (12/22/04): FAQ creation established. MAX mode combos section incomplete. ########################################################### /Contents/ 1.)What, Kula? Why her? 2.)KoF 2002 system overview 3.)Profile 4.)Quick movelist 5.)Throws 6.)Normal attacks 7.)Command moves 8.)Special attacks 9.)DM/SDMs/HSDM 10.)Strategy advisory 11.)Combos 12.)MAX mode combos [incomplete] 13.)Credits ########################################################### /1.)What, Kula? Why her?/ Ah yes, the question of why. Well, seeing as Kula is not only my favorite character in KoF or any other fighting series, but any game period, along with the fact that my love for her is equalled by my ability to play her effectively, it only makes sense for me to share what I know (especially when it's so much more common for me to see people play other fighters, such as K', instead -_-). And, seeing as there was no FAQ for her in '02 before this one, it was a perfect opportunity. I will not deny my own bias towards her, nor will I humble or exaggerate my own capabilities, but I will state matters as they are. Now, let's begin the cryokinetic lesson. ########################################################### /2.)KoF 2002 system overview/ Special thanks goes to Moriya for allowing me to include his outline of the basics of KoF 2002 detailed in his KoF 2002 FAQ. Terminology: f - forward b - back u - up d - down (forward refers to the right if your character is facing right, and the left if your character is facing left; back is the opposite direction) ub - up-back uf - up-forward db - down-back df - down-forward QCF - quarter circle forward (d,df,f) QCB - quarter circle back (d,db,b) DP - dragon punch motion (f,d,df) HCF - half circle forward (b,db,d,df,f) HCB - half circle back (f,df,d,db,b) A - Light Punch C - Heavy Punch B - Light Kick D - Heavy Kick Start - Taunt/Provocation. Press ub, u or uf rapidly to perform a hop. Press ub, u or uf holding the button for a short while to perform a jump. Press db,uf or df,ub to perform a high jump. Press uf while running to perform a high jump. f,f : Run (keep holding f to keep running). b,b : Backstep. b while being : Block. This greatly reduces the damage an enemy does to attacked you, but you cannot be performing any other action while blocking, and it cannot be done in the air. b/f + C/D while : Throw escape. Note that only normal throws can be escaped, being thrown and you must use the same button that the opponent used to throw you. Some normal throws are not escapable at all. AB : Emergency Evasion (your character rolls forward; he/she is almost invincible while rolling, being only affected by throws). b + AB : Emergency Evasion (exactly like the normal one, except that your character rolls backwards). AB while : Guard Cancel. Your character will cancel the blocking blocking animation and roll back for his/her safety. This will cost one power stock. AB during a : Roll Buffering. Your character will cancel whichever normal/special attack he/she is performing (even a CD Guard Cancel) and move roll. This will cost one power stock. AB after being : Recovery Roll. You roll instead of being actually knocked knocked down down. It saves time. Note that it can't be done after moves with the hard knockdown attribute. BC : Activate MAX Mode. While on MAX Mode, your character can perform SDMs for the cost of one extra stock, or DMs for free. If either is performed, though, MAX Mode ends immediately. Otherwise, it lasts for the length of a small time bar. While on MAX Mode, your character can also cancel normal/special moves into some other moves, but doing so will deplete about 1/4 of the time bar, thus making the mode end earlier (and assuring that you can only cancel about 4 or 5 moves). And there's more to MAX Mode: during it, the damage your character inflicts is reduced in about 25%. Activating MAX Mode costs one power stock. BC during a : MAX Mode Buffering. Your character will cancel whichever normal move normal attack he/she is performing and activate MAX Mode. This can save time as it immediatly removes the rest of the recovery time (so you can use it to extend some combos). This will cost one more power stock (besides the power stock already necessary to activate MAX Mode). CD : Heavy Attack (this attack always knocks the opponent down, and can be performed in the air, but not while crouching). CD while : Guard Cancel. Your character will cancel the blocking blocking animation and counter the opponent with a CD attack. This will cost one power stock and knock the opponent down, causing him/her some damage. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -= Action costs in a nutshell: =- --------------------------- Action -=- Cost ------------------------------------ -=+=- ------------------------------------ Roll - None Recovery Roll - None Guard Cancel (Roll) - 1 power stock Cancel a move into a Roll - 1 power stock Guard Cancel (CD) - 1 power stock Perform DM - 1 power stock Supercancel a move into a DM - 2 power stocks Activate MAX Mode - 1 power stock Cancel a move into MAX Mode - 2 power stocks Cancel move into move during MAX Mode - 1/4 of the MAX Mode bar Perform a DM during MAX Mode - the MAX Mode bar Perform an SDM (must be in MAX Mode) - 1 power stock and the MAX Mode bar Supercancel a move into an SDM (must be in MAX Mode) - 2 power stocks and the MAX Mode bar Perform an HSDM (must be in MAX Mode and have 1/4 or less life remaining) - 1 power stock and the MAX Mode bar ####################################################### /3.)Profile/ Name: Kula Diamond Fighting style: Anti-K' techniques Birthday: May 29th Age: 14 Height: 169 cm Weight: 48 kg Blood type: Unknown 3 sizes: 81 cm, 57 cm, 83 cm Origin: Unknown Hobby: collecting parts for repairing Candy Most important thing: Candy (the robot) Favorite food: strawberry sorbet, sweets Dislikes: crowds, fire Best sport: ice skating Voice actress: Yumi Kakazu First debuting in KoF 2000 as a mid-boss, Kula was one of the last original characters for KoF created by the original SNK. She was introduced for the purpose of providing a rival (ala Kyo and Iori) for the new lead introduced in KoF '99, K'. However, after the original SNK went under after KoF 2000's release, and Playmore (now known as SNK Playmore) obtained all intellectual properties, Playmore made the decision to bring in the Korean developer, Eolith, to make KoF 2001. This lead to Eolith's introduction of K9999, who was brought about as an attempt to make him the rival to K' despite Kula having been introduced the previous year, resulting in the rivalry between Kula and K' being unable to develop. In the long run, though, while K9999 had some fans in the general public (mainly fans of the anime Akira, seeing as K9999 is not a mere homage, but a complete rip-off of Tetsuo), he was widely unpopular, not just among players, but within SNKP as well. Kula, however, remains one of the most popular cast members in the series, and considering her presence in the recent KoF NeoWave (essentially, a reworked KoF 2002), as well as K9999 (along with some other fighters present in '02, such as Angel and May Lee) being nowhere in sight, it becomes clear that she's here to stay. On a side note, it's speculated that Kula is another of SNK's many anime references, in this case, to Rei Ayanami of Neon Genesis Evangelion. ######################################################### /4.)Quick movelist/ [Throws] Ice Coffin: (near enemy) b/f+C Behind Slash: (near enemy) b/f+D [Command moves] One Inch: f+A Slider Shoot: df+B Critical Ice: df+C [Special attacks] Diamond Breath: QCF+A/C Crow Bites: DP+A/C Counter Shell: QCB+A/C Lay Spin: QCB+B/D -stand: f+B -sit: f+D [DM] Diamond Edge: QCF, QCF+A/C [SDMs] Freeze Execution: HCB, HCB+AC La * Cachora: (in mid-air) QCF, QCF+BD [HSDM] Freeze Completion: AC, BD, ABC ####################################################### /5.)Throws/ Ice Coffin (b/f+C): Kula suspends the enemy in the air in front of her by freezing them in a large sphere of ice ----|notes| the enemy can mash the C button to be released from the attack sooner, causing less damage to them Behind Slash (b/f+D): Diana teleports in behind the enemy to slash them into the air, sending them to the other side of the screen, Kula standing by in shock of Diana's merciless surprise attack ----|notes| puts a good distance between Kula and the enemy ####################################################### /6.)Normal attacks/ [A] close standing A: a quick jab with her fist ----|notes| can be comboed into Counter Shell or continued as a short ranged poke to lead into her far standing A far standing A: an open-handed, icy jab ----|notes| can be used with her close standing A as a short range poke crouching A: a kick while leaning back and facing the enemy ----|notes| can't be repeated as a poke, but can be comboed from her crouching B, or into Slider Shoot or Crow Bites jumping A: a small ice spike while leaning forward with her head down ----|notes| not much to say about this one [B] close standing B: a short, 1-hit grounded spin kick resembling Lay Spin ----|notes| quick, with plenty of priority, and is great for poking far standing B: an outward kick performed while leaning back with one arm raised, her back to the foreground ----|notes| see close standing B for comments crouching B: a quick kick performed without lifting her leg off the ground, facing away from the enemy ----|notes| hits quickly, and is great for poking, and can be comboed into Slider Shoot, her crouching A, or Crow Bites jumping B: a jump kick with one leg outward ----|notes| great priority, and is suitable for jump-in combos; can be used for cross-ups [C] close standing C: a stylish uppercut rolled into an elbow with her back to the enemy ----|notes| hits twice, can be cancelled after the 1st hit, best normal to use in combos far standing C: an outward punch with her arm covered in ice, with her back facing the foreground ----|notes| not very quick, but can be cancelled before the move completes crouching C: a quick rise for an icy stab to theenemy with her hair ----|notes| can't be cancelled outside of MAX mode, but is useful for anti-air jumping C: same as jumping A, only a bit more damage ----|notes| can be used for jump-in combos, but considering its lack of priority, it isn't the best choice [D] close standing D: a kick with her back to the enemy to slash with one of her ice skates ----|notes| hits twice, but can't be cancelled after the first hit; has a bit more priority than her close standing C, but is second to it for usefulness in combos far standing D: a kick where she raises one leg for a strike with one of her skates, then drops it for one more hit ----|notes| hits twice, can't be cancelled outside of MAX mode crouching D: a sitting sweep where she turns towards the background ----|notes| as with most sweeps, not very fast, but has good reach jumping D: a jump kick where she kicks towards the foreground ----|notes| good for starting jump-in combos; good for cross-ups [CD] standing: a high kick with her back to the foreground, same move as her Counter Shell reflect and stand follow-up to Lay Spin ----|notes| hits fairly quickly, and can be used for anti-air if timed properly jumping: a spin kick similar to Lay Spin ----|notes| the jump must factor in the necessary trajectory (so as not to get outprioritized by a move hitting higher than her kick); can be linked into Diamond Breath C with proper timing ######################################################## /7.)Command moves/ One Inch (f+A): Kula leans forward with a punch that barely touches the enemy yet hits with enough force to knock them down ----|notes| if comboed into from a normal (such as close standing C or close standing D), it won't knock down, but helps extend combos for more hits; causes counter wire Slider Shoot (df+B): Kula sits down to slide forward along the ground to trip the enemy ----|notes| comes in handy as a low hitting knockdown against enemies too far to sweep with her crouching D, and can be comboed from her crouching A, her crouching B, her close standing C, and her close standing D Critical Ice (df+C): a long-ranged poke where Kula sends out a stream of ice to knock down the enemy ----|notes| causes a max of 3 hits, and can be comboed into from close standing C and close standing D; despite how it may look, it counts as a physical attack, meaning that it can be countered with physical counter moves, so be careful with it; countered 3rd hit causes counter wire (only if it's just the 3rd hit connecting for a counter attack) ######################################################### /8.)Special attacks/ Diamond Breath (QCF+A/C): Kula brings up one hand and blows an icy gust of wind at the enemy ----|notes| the A version knocks enemies down, while the C version has a longer start-up but stuns enemies so that you can either jump in or run in for a combo; the A version also allows you to juggle an enemy, and is especially effective against cornered enemies in particular Crow Bites (DP+A/C): Kula travels forward in an arc with an icy uppercut performed with one arm outward, turning towards the background as she does so ----|notes| the A version hits once, while the C version hits twice, moving her a greater height and distance than the A version; it's best not to overuse either one, since enemies can punish her if she misses or if they block, on account of the recovery lag; can be super cancelled Counter Shell (QCB+A/C): Kula motions one arm away from the enemy while leaning back and trailing ice, nullifying oncoming projectiles before kicking a high speed ice shard towards the enemy ----|notes| the most effective reflector in all of KoF, allowing you to reflect almost all enemy projectiles (even DM and SDM types), the ice shard from the counter causing a bit more damage than the motion; other uses for the move include anti-air (if properly timed), putting space between yourself and enemies that get too close (such as during wake-up), as well as comboing (such as cancelling after the first hit of her close standing C, as well as comboing from her standing A); on a side note, it can reflect Rugal's Reppuken and Kaiser Wave as well; causes counter wire Lay Spin (QCB+B/D): Kula leaps forward while performing a spin kick with both arms held over her head, rising up as she travels forward during the jump ----|notes| a nice move that allows for greater versatility in her gameplay, and works quite well in combos; the B version is one spin kick without knockdown (the stand follow-up won't combo after hitting a grounded enemy, but the sit follow-up will), the D version is two spin kicks, the 1st causing knockdown (the second kick doesn't knock down, but the stand follow-up will combo if only the second kick connects); you can use only one follow-up after completing the attack -stand (f+B): Kula kicks an ice shard to the enemy in the same manner as her Counter Shell reflect, only the shard travels more slowly ----|notes| good to use for zoning, as well as in juggle combos; the shard has a tendency to eat other air special attack projectiles (causing it to hit an additional number of times); hits once at from a distance, but twice up close; can be super cancelled -sit (f+D): Kula slides into the enemy in the same manner as Slider Shoot, only launching the enemy into the air instead of knocking them down ----|notes| the key to juggling enemies outside of corners with Kula, possible juggles including Counter Shell, as well as Crow Bites; can combo from the B version of Lay Spin, as well as the second hit of the D version (provided that the first hit doesn't connect); can be super cancelled ######################################################## /9.)DM/SDMs/HSDM/ [DM] Diamond Edge (QCF, QCF+A/C): Kula arches her back while leaning forward towards the ground, raising a row of ice spikes to drive back the enemy ----|notes| it's much better this year than in the previous years, and is great as an anti-air or combo ender; just be careful about when you use it (depending on the enemy's distance, they could simply roll past the attack) [SDMs] Freeze Execution (HCB, HCB+AC): Diana glides across the screen to launch the enemy into the air just as Kula raises her arms, swinging her arms outward as she sends freezing gusts of wind throughout the area ----|notes| an excellent SDM, which not only has invincibility during the start-up, but hits the enemy no matter where they stand since it's a full screen attack, so even if they block, they still take chip damage; can be comboed into, and the closer they are to her, the more damage the move does (more precisely, the closer they are to the upper edge of her side of the screen, the more damage they take, taking 60% if launched by Diana's slash while standing right next to her when she's cornered) La * Cachora (QCF, QCF+BD in mid-air): Kula descends towards the enemy, using Candy as a propellant, Kula clapping and cheering once sitting on top of the enemy's head, Foxy and Diana on either side of the enemy, with Candy standing out in front ----|notes| relatively weak for an SDM (in terms of both damage and priority), but it does drain one stock from the enemy if it connects; if you choose to use it, make sure you're right over the enemy's head during the jump, and yes, for when you simply want to show off [HSDM] Freeze Completion (AC, BD, ABC): Kula closes her eyes while holding her head up, then performs One Inch, Diana appearing to slash the enemy upward, with Foxy adding an attack of her own afterwards, followed by Kula sending out gusts of wind to freeze the enemy in a sphere of ice, Candy hovering above to fire rockets at the frozen enemy as Kula stretches then poses ----|notes| a powerful HSDM, but is best saved for comboing into (such as from her close standing C); it's also an overhead, so be sure to take advantage of the fact if necessary ########################################################## /10.)Strategy advisory/ Kula is best played aggressively, with a large focus on combos, pressure, and rushdown (CPR of a contrary nature, if you will, giving the other players little room to breathe). The idea is to constantly be on the move, so plenty of running and jumping will factor in, as well as plenty of mix-ups (such as with the Lay Spin follow-ups, since only using the sit follow-up will make you predictable). She doesn't do large amounts of damage off of single hits, so long chains become even more important when playing her. Her juggling abilities are second only to Kyo's, with cornered enemies creating an even greater number of possibilities. Should you manage to use her properly, frustrated outbursts such as "I hate that *****!" will become quite common for you to hear from the poor souls you best with her. Although an offensive plan is the best course, in some cases, such as against grapplers, taking a more defensive approach is wise, be it through using pokes, or simply letting them come to you. Learn each move well, as well as the best situation for each, and you'll gain so much enjoyment from your matches that you may soon wonder why you never bothered picking her up in the first place (and if you already played her before, you'll become even more satisfied). ############################################################# /11.)Combos/ Legend: !strict timing *can substitute with close standing D **can substitute with jumping A, jumping B, or jumping C ***can substitute with jumping B [grounded] -*close standing C --> f+A --> QCF+A -*close standing C --> f+A --> DP+C -*close standing C --> DP+A/C -close standing C (cancel after 1st hit) --> QCB+A/C -*close standing C --> df+B -*close standing C --> df+C -*close standing C --> QCB+B --> f+D --> QCB+A/C -*close standing C --> QCB+B --> f+D --> DP+A/C -*close standing C --> QCB+D --> !f+B -*close standing C --> QCF, QCF+A/C (requires 1 stock) -*close standing C --> f+A --> QCF, QCF+A/C (requires 1 stock) -*close standing C --> f+A --> QCB+B --> f+D --> DP+A -far standing C --> QCF+A -far standing C --> QCB+B --> f+D --> QCB+A/C -far standing C --> QCB+B --> f+D --> DP+A/C -far standing C --> df+B -far standing C --> df+C -close standing A --> QCB+A/C -close standing A --> crouching A --> df+B -close standing A --> crouching A --> DP+A/C -close standing A --> crouching B --> df+B -close standing A --> crouching B --> DP+A/C -crouching B (x3) --> df+B -crouching B --> crouching A --> df+B -crouching B --> crouching A --> DP+A/C -QCB+D (have only the 2nd hit connect) --> f+B -QCB+D (have only the 2nd hit connect) --> f+D --> QCB+A/C -QCB+D (have only the 2nd hit connect) --> f+D --> DP+A/C -QCF+C --> QCF+A -QCF+A --> DP+C -QCF+A --> QCB+B [jump-in] -**jumping D --> close standing C --> df+B -**jumping D --> close standing C --> df+C -**jumping D --> DP+A/C -**jumping D --> close standing C (cancel after 1st hit) --> QCB+A/C -**jumping D --> close standing C --> DP+A/C -**jumping D --> close standing C --> QCF+A --> QCB+B -**jumping D --> close standing C --> QCB+B --> f+D --> QCB+A/C -**jumping D --> close standing C --> QCF, QCF+A/C (requires 1 stock) -jumping C --> close standing A --> QCB+A/C -jumping C --> !close standing D --> df+B -jumping C --> !close standing D --> df+C -jumping C --> !close standing D --> QCB+B --> f+D --> QCB+A/C -jumping C --> !close standing D --> QCB+B --> f+D --> DP+A/C [cross-up] -***jumping D --> close standing C --> QCF+A -***jumping D --> close standing C --> QCB+A/C -***jumping D --> close standing C --> DP+A/C -***jumping D --> close standing C --> QCB+B --> f+D --> QCB+A/C -***jumping D --> close standing C --> QCB+B --> f+D --> DP+A/C -***jumping D --> close standing C --> QCB+D -***jumping D --> close standing C --> df+B -***jumping D --> close standing C --> df+C -***jumping D --> close standing C --> f+A --> QCB+B --> f+D --> DP+A -***jumping D --> close standing C --> QCF, QCF+A/C (requires 1 stock) [corner] -*close standing C --> QCF+A --> !QCB+B --> f+B --> QCB+A/C -*close standing C --> QCF+A --> !QCB+B -->f+B --> DP+A/C -*close standing C --> QCF+A --> QCF, QCF+A/C (requires 1 stock) -*close standing C --> QCB+B --> f+D --> QCB+A/C -*close standing C --> QCB+B --> f+D --> DP+A/C -*close standing C --> f+A --> QCB+B --> f+D --> QCB+A/C -*close standing C --> f+A --> QCB+B --> f+D --> DP+A/C -QCF+C --> run in --> *close standing C --> f+A --> QCF+A --> QCB+B --> f+B --> QCB+A/C -QCF+C --> run in --> *close standing C --> f+A --> QCF+A --> QCB+B --> f+B --> DP+A/C -QCF+C --> QCF+A --> QCB+B --> f+B --> QCB+A/C -QCF+C --> QCF+A --> QCB+B --> f+B --> DP+A/C -QCF+C --> QCF+A --> QCF, QCF+A/C (requires 1 stock) [super cancel] -*close standing C --> QCB+B --> f+D --> QCF, QCF+A/C (requires 2 stocks) -*close standing C --> DP+C (cancel after 1st hit) --> QCF, QCF+A/C (requires 2 stocks) -QCB+B (won't combo) --> f+B --> QCF, QCF+A/C (requires 2 stocks) -DP+A --> QCF, QCF+A/C (requires 2 stocks) ######################################################## /12.)MAX mode combos/ MAX mode cancelling grants many possibilities for combos, though, unfortunately, I'm still in theprocess of discovering them all. Look for more in this section in future updates. -crouching C --> QCB+B --> f+D --> QCB+A/C (requires 1 stock) -crouching C --> QCB+B --> f+D --> DP+A/C (requires 1 stock) -crouching C --> DP+C (cancel after 1st hit) --> QCB+B --> f+D --> QCB+A/C -crouching C --> DP+C (cancel after 1st hit) --> QCB+B --> f+D --> DP+A/C -far standing D --> QCB+B --> f+D --> QCB+A/C (requires 1 stock) -far standing D --> QCB+B --> f+D --> DP+A/C (requires 1 stock) -*close standing C --> DP+C (cancel after 1st hit) --> QCB+A/C (requires 1 stock) -*close standing C --> f+A --> HCB, HCB+AC (requires 2 stocks) -*close standing C --> df+C (cancel after 2nd hit) --> QCB+B --> f+D --> QCB+A/C (requires 1 stock) -*close standing C --> df+C (cancel after 2nd hit) --> QCB+B --> f+D --> DP+A/C (requires 1 stock) -QCB+B (won't combo) --> f+B --> HCB, HCB+AC (requires 2 stocks) -(cross-up) ***jumping D --> close standing C --> f+A --> HCB, HCB+AC (requires 2 stocks) -(when life is at 1/4 or less, cross-up) ***jumping D --> close standing C --> AC, BD, ABC (requires 2 stocks) -(when life is at 1/4 or less) close standing C --> AC, BD, ABC (requires 2 stocks) -(when life is at 1/4 or less, in corner) QCF+C --> run in --> close standing C --> QCF+A --> AC, BD, ABC (requires 2 stocks) ############################################################ /13.)Credits/ -SNK Playmore, for continuing the KoF series -Eolith, for developing KoF 2002 -GameFAQs.com, for hosting this FAQ -Moriya, for allowing me to use the system basics information from his KoF 2002 FAQ (thanks again) -Snow Wanderer, for convincing me to write this FAQ in the first place, as well as providing alot of great conversation (as well as pointing out that great HSDM corner juggle combo) -MGohan, a nice guy to speak with when I have the chance -jinsakazaki, for being a great opponent, as well as another nice guy to know -firebomber (of neo-geo.com), for being another great opponent and nice guy (I owe a good deal of my improvement with Kula to my matches with you) -Red Falcon (of mmcafe.com), another cool guy (thanks for sharing the fan art you found, especially since the amount fan art I had of Kula was extremely limited before) -all who've taken the time to read this FAQ