[P4A] Naoto vs. Kanji

[ludwig van]

Discuss the Kanji matchup here!

[Ichipoo]

Basically if you aren't zoning him out and AAing his Bet Ya Can't Take This! attempts with converted 2Bs then you're doing something wrong. Also don't let him touch you once, or else you'll be forced to deal with his mixup which is less straightforward than the rest of the cast. Will elaborate on this later.

[Sqwirl]

The C version of a trap is a good way of not dealing with his air command grab, if you don't have one you could just duck it and double fang combo him away from you again.

Remember you can hop over his command throw if you're shocked, but you run the chance of getting hit by his AA or air command if he baits you.

Also one last thing I noticed is that if you're hit by his DP you can mash him out with a 5a, not sure if he can DP again or command throw though. (Also might only be possible on a non-counter hit)

[Gemakai]

If you go the zoning route, what do you do about the lightning bolt? It seems like Naoto doesn't recover in time from her stance to block.

[Kyle]

Been trying to AA his dive w/ 2B. Players end up doing a shorter version & making him whiff, punishing my recovery of 2B. Now I am trying to crouch, wait and get that grounded punish on Kanji.

[Ichipoo]

Been trying to AA his dive w/ 2B. Players end up doing a shorter version & making him whiff, punishing my recovery of 2B. Now I am trying to crouch, wait and get that grounded punish on Kanji.

That works too. Whatever makes them scared of doing the dive grab.

[Ichipoo]

Played my friend's Kanji again last night and I don't know if it's just him, but simply running around all over the place, annoying him with well placed traps and properly used and timed pokes was what won me a few matches. Didn't use Aim as much as I wanted to because for some reason, he would magically BYCTT! me.

So yeah, I would say staying mobile while limiting his movement is key in this matchup.

[xntrikcat]

If you go the zoning route, what do you do about the lightning bolt? It seems like Naoto doesn't recover in time from her stance to block.

You should vary where you stand. If you're always at the very end of the screen, he'll hit you w/ lightning bolt sooner or later. Fake him out, pretend you'll shoot at him, cancel aim, dash up, aim again. If he gets baited, you can shoot at his persona for a free primer.

I can't find it right now, but there was a good textbook zoning vs. Kanji in a Gamechariot vid. I think it might have been Shadow vs. the world or something.

[Toushinu]

You should vary where you stand. If you're always at the very end of the screen, he'll hit you w/ lightning bolt sooner or later. Fake him out, pretend you'll shoot at him, cancel aim, dash up, aim again. If he gets baited, you can shoot at his persona for a free primer.

I can't find it right now, but there was a good textbook zoning vs. Kanji in a Gamechariot vid. I think it might have been Shadow vs. the world or something.

is this the one you were talkin about? it's shadow vs. pet. shows some epic turn arounds.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnO_oT-uApU

[Gemakai]

is this the one you were talkin about? it's shadow vs. pet. shows some epic turn arounds.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnO_oT-uApU

Nice study material. Definitely nice to see high level play between both characters

[Sqwirl]

Too friggin bad most Kanji's don't even play that smart, I swear some don't even know what a combo is.

Another thing to be careful about is a TK EX air command throw, that stuff is fast.

[Ichipoo]

If a Kanji is right in your face during his IK and you have a Burst to spare, use it. It's basically free meter for you. I doubt you'll see it a lot but it's something to know in this matchup.

[Teh Umby]

Shield of Justice~6X can possibly help against lightning. On the plus side, you can stand just outside of lightning range and be able to counter it, should you choose to use it. On the downside, Naoto leans forward, so if you miss the timing in that manner, that's shock ailment and a lost persona card.

[Kyle]

^ x6 means?

oh, nevermind, not six times. really, it's C+D~6(Attack)

[PANDEMlC]

If anyone wants to play a decent Kanji I'm always looking to learn matchups. Been dedicating my week to Naoto but I have a solid Kanji. 90% of online Kanjis just mash command grab and air dive. Hard to learn the MU through that.

[Kyle]

Console glitch where Kanji lands 720 & wall stick is eliminated for the remained of that round. This means no AOA~D or Mudoon combos. only smp through OMB at that point.

[Ichipoo]

Played some offline Kanjis last night and did better than I thought I would, here's some of my thoughts.

You'll definitely want to play gay by laying traps all over the place both ground and air but don't back yourself into the corner because you still want to control more space than Kanji. If they get hit with bullets, run up to Kanji and stop wherever you think is safe to place a trap in order to establish your territory. Every time they use Zio, be prepared to block, in the air is probably best. If it disarms traps, lay more traps. If Zio whiffs, whip out your gun to break a Persona card. Also if you crouch his airgrab, be sure you punish right away either with 5/2A because if you're just a frame or two slow, Kanji's F-Action will eat your failed attempt to punish. And be prepared for a long match as you'll be doing this over and over again as you should. I personally feel that this matchup is a test of both players' patience.