GGML/Ky

	Defense
	90%Raw Value: 9
	Jump Startup
	2f
	Backdash
	22f
	Meter Gain Mod
	50%Raw Value: 5
	Charge Time
	52f
	Forward Walk Speed
	113%Raw Value: 870
	Backward Walk Speed
	109%Raw Value: 640
	Dizzy Resistance
	100%Raw Value: 30
	Fastest Attack
	6PGuard:; MidStartup:; 6Recovery:; 17Advantage:; -12 (6F); 2PGuard:; LowStartup:; 6Recovery:; 9Advantage:; -7 (6F); 2SGuard:; LowStartup:; 6Recovery:; 35Advantage:; -31 (6F); DustGuard:; AllStartup:; 6Recovery:; 10Advantage:; -7 (6F)
	Reversals
	Vapor ThrustGuard:; AllStartup:; 6Recovery:; 32Advantage:; -34 (6F)

Overview

Starter Guide

Combos

Ky Kiske is a well rounded character with tools that fundamentally lean into Missing Link's core mechanics. With his large, disjointed normals and good fireball, he can control neutral well from long distances and challenge most characters. On top of that, he can also force checkmate situations with his Instant Kill Sakkai loop, giving him one of the best win conditions in the game. Although he is on the simple side, he is very potent.

Ky

Ky is a well rounded character with an exceptional instant kill attack.

Pros

Cons

Instant Kill Checkmate: Ky has one of the best Instant Kills in the game. It's fast, has great range, anti-airs, whiff punishes, and most importantly, loops into itself on successful escape for a majority of the cast. This means the opponent is completely stuck from looping instant kills unless they have a reversal or a low tech recovery to escape with.
Long Normals: Ky has among the longest normals in the game, and most of them have large, disjointed hitboxes or move Ky forward significantly.
Good Fireball: Stun Edge is a strong tool in neutral and pressure, especially when charged.
Strong Throw: Ky's throw is one of the few that launches opponents at a low angle, allowing him to get pressure off it a lot of the time.

Long Recovery on Normals: While they're long ranged, many of Ky's normals also have ludicrously long recovery. Whiffing his slashes can be a death sentence.
Slow Normals: Ky's fastest normals become active on frame 6, which is relatively slow compared to other characters.
Wide Hurtbox: While it's not the tallest, Ky has one of the widest hurtboxes in the game, making him susceptible to counter pokes and whiff punishes. He's also one of the only characters in the game that can be crossed up in corner.

Unique Mechanics

Real Combos

Full Charge RoutingLook how cool it is!

uhhh, that's a lot of stuff
Unlike many characters, Ky can perform real combos without the use of Charge Cancels Infinites. This has no practical advantage over CC Infinites, but it is extremely cool.

Every juggle in this combo is performed using either an air-unblockable attack, or is performed while the opponent is stunned. This means that the combo real through-and-through.

Normals

Damage

A quantification of how a character's health bar is reduced when they are hit.

Guard

The act of defending against incoming attacks. Guarding either negates the damage from an attack entirely or reduces it to minor chip damage.

Low: Guarded against while crouching
Mid: Guarded against in either the crouching or standing state, but not while airborne
High: Guarded against in the standing state
All: Guarded against while crouching, standing, or while airborne
Throw: Cannot be guarded against, but only applies to grounded opponents
Unblockable: Cannot be guarded against

Startup: The time before an attack is active including the first active frame. For example, an attack with 10F startup means the attack will do nothing for 9 frames, then hit the opponent on the 10th frame.
Active: The active frames of an attack refers to the amount of time an attack can hit the opponent.
Recovery: The recovery of an attack refers to the amount of time an attacker must wait before they may perform another action, even blocking.
On-Block: A measure of frame advantage when the opponent blocks an attack. Positive values indicate that the attacker can act first. Negative values indicate that the defender can act first.
On-Hit: A measure of frame advantage when the opponent is hit by an attack. Positive values indicate that the attacker can act first. Negative values indicate that the defender can act first.
Invuln: Short for InvulnerabilityA state where a character cannot be hit. A common component of reversal moves.

5P

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block	On-Hit	Invuln
4	All	9	7	10	-10	-2	none

Really bad jab. 9f startup makes it too slow to use like a normal jab and the rest of its frame data isn't winning any awards. Its hitbox isn't big compared to the rest of Ky's normals. Don't bother.

5K

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block	On-Hit	Invuln
9	All	9	6	17	-16	-8	none

Low kick that isn't a low. Has similar frame data to 5P, but even worse recovery/frame advantage. Has a bit of disjoint, but Ky has better pokes.

c.S

c.S

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block	On-Hit	Invuln
11	All	9	3	30	-23	-5	none

c.S with an abormally large activation window. That's a good thing, because this move's hitbox is an impressive disjoint and it's a good infinite starter. Has identical startup to 5P and 5K on top of its bigger hitbox, giving you another reason to use those moves.

f.S

f.S

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block	On-Hit	Invuln
12	All	12	3(3)10	13	-20	-8	none

Ky's signature long-ranged poke. Gigantic as always, and safe if charge cancelled. Just like later games, it extends your hurtbox significantly. Don't whiff it.

5H

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block	On-Hit	Invuln
13,17	All	26	12	1	+6	+23	none

Ky's classic 6/3H. Still as ridiculously + on block as ever, even when not charge cancelled. Moves Ky forward from his origin a lot, making it deceptively long-ranged. Can only be comboed into from c.S, making it less preferred when going for infinites.

Fierce Strike

6P

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block	On-Hit	Invuln
5x2	Mid	6	8	17	-12	-10	none

Air Unblockable

Decent anti-air option with a good hitbox. Not upper body invincible, so it's liable to trade or clash, but it has a somewhat good disjoint. Poor horizontal range.

2P

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block	On-Hit	Invuln
4	Low	6	4	9	-7	+1	none

Tied for your fastest normal, and its greater horizontal range and lower recovery than 6P makes it better for abare.

2K

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block	On-Hit	Invuln
7	Low	10	8	13	-13	-1	none

Outclassed by 2P and 2S. 2P is safer on whiff if you want to mash a low option, and 2S is faster and longer-ranged if you want a poke. Not recommended.

2S

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block	On-Hit	Invuln
12	Low	6	4	35	-31	-19	none

Tied for your fastest normal at 6f, which is very fast given its size. Very solid poke due to its speed and range. Massive recovery, so don't whiff and remember to cancel it into something else.

2H

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block	On-Hit	Invuln
16x2	All	12	8	13	-9	+9	none

Big anti-air normal with a nice hitbox, but can be blocked in the air. Completely disjointed, so it'll beat or clash with any air button from the right range. Good to use if the opponent is too far away horizontally for 6P to hit, or if you want to beat out their IAD, although the longer startup makes it somewhat difficult to use on reaction.

j.P

j.P

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block	On-Hit	Invuln
4	Overhead	9	5	11	N/A	N/A	none

Too slow to be used as an air to air. Not sure why you'd use this.

j.K

j.K

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block	On-Hit	Invuln
9	Overhead	6	8	9	N/A	N/A	none

Big and fast air-to-air. Covers a lot of horizontal distance very quickly, but its fully jointed.

j.S

j.S

Disjointed Hurtbox

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block	On-Hit	Invuln
12	Overhead	11	12	16	N/A	N/A	none

Incredibly good jump in, possibly the best in the game. The move is technically a projectile that appears below Ky, making it heavily disjointed. Even the biggest, most disjointed anti-airs will struggle to contest it. Also for some reason it has a pair of hurtboxes around two character lengths behind Ky that can be hit, although this is difficult and mostly irrelevant.

j.H

j.H

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block	On-Hit	Invuln
22	Overhead	9	3	22	N/A	N/A	none

Another gigantic, disjointed aerial. A bit faster and a lot bigger horizontally than jS, but with more recovery. Still very hard to contest with most anti-airs if spaced, although it's not quite as disjointed. Slightly worse as a jump-in but otherwise better in every aspect.

Universal Mechanics

Dust Attack

S+H

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block	On-Hit	Invuln
15	All	6	6	10	-7	+90	none

Ridiculously fast, fully disjointed dust. Not usable for mixups due to being a mid. Would be an amazing punish starter if this wasn't a game with infinites.

Throw

6H or 4H

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block	On-Hit	Invuln
18	Throw	1	N/A	N/A	N/A	-22	N/A

A uniquely good throw. Sends at a very low angle, which means that even if you tech, you'll be in the perfect position for Ky to continue pressuring you. Adds a good, unblockable threat to up-close pressure.

Dash Attack

6[6]

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block	On-Hit	Invuln
15	All	22f	N/A	9	+17	+2	none

Standard dash attack. Very + on block, which is nice.

Instant Kill

Zwei Voltage

P+K > 236X

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block	On-Hit	Invuln
FATAL	All	8	8	5	N/A	N/A	Above Knees

One of the best instant kills in the game. It's big, fast, unpunishible on whiff and anti-airs.

This was previously thought to be an unbreakable checkmate move on the entire cast, but that is no longer the case. Any character with a 27 frame tech recovery or lower can reliably escape successive instant kill attempts after one or two uses of Instant Kill depending on the initial spacing. These include Kliff, Chipp, Baldhead, Millia, Axl, and Baiken.

However, for the rest of the cast, the move loops into itself indefinitely, giving no chance of escape outside of reversals. This is one of the best win conditions in the game for the large portion of the cast in which the loop works, as you only need to hit his instant kill once with a life lead to secure the win.

Specials

Stun Edge

236S or 236H

Version	Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block	On-Hit	Invuln
Stun Edge	9	All	15	Until contact	26	-4	+1	none
Stun Edge Level 2	22	All	15	Until contact	28	-6	-1	none
Stun Edge Level 3	16x5	All	15	Until contact	58	-35	-30	none

Ky's classic fireball. Covers the space in front of Ky pretty well.

The Level 2 version is similar to the original, but noticeably bigger and over twice as damaging. Considering how fast Ky can charge, he gets frequent access to this.

The Level 3 version is absolutely massive, does extreme damage, and has up to five hits. It's horribly unsafe point-blank, but at far ranges, it's a great space control tool. Can be used with the dashbug for unique and powerful pressure situations.

Aerial Stun Edge

j.236S

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block	On-Hit	Invuln
14	All	12	Until contact	22	N/A	N/A	none

Fires at a downward angle. Doesn't have higher-level versions, so it can be useful if you want to save your charge for whatever reason. Its pretty wide hitbox makes it good for space control. Keeps air actions after recovery which lets you fire multiple in one jump or attempt to air stall, though it's not great at that.

Vapor Thrust

623S or 623H

Version	Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block	On-Hit	Invuln
S Vapor Thrust	5,12	All	6	14	32	-34	-28	Full 1~5; Above Knees 6~9; Above Thighs 10~13; Above Waist 14~24
H Vapor Thrust	5,12	All	6	14	46	-48	-42	Full 1~5; Above Knees 6~9; Above Thighs 10~13; Above Waist 14~31

The S and H versions are almost identical. However, the H version travels a little further and has more invuln in exchange for more recovery. Generally you'll want to stick to the H version since it launches the opponent farther away. Stronger opponents will be able to tech the S version fast enough to punish it on hit.

Not a real reversal: Ky's feet become vulnerable during the first active frame
Good anti-air hitbox that jump-ins can't contest, in addition to generous upper body invincibility
Air blockable and very unsafe, making it risky as an anti-air

Aerial Vapor Thrust

j.623S or j.623H

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block	On-Hit	Invuln
5,12	All	6	14	Until Landing +12	N/A	N/A	Full 1~5; Above Knees 6~9; Above Thighs 10~13; Above Waist 14~24

Vapor Thrust, but in the air. You can't get a knockdown off air combos with this, like in later games. Ky also has safer ways to win the air-to-air war, as it's easier to tech and punish than the grounded version.

Stun Dipper

236K

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block	On-Hit	Invuln
11,14	Low, All	19	Variable,12	13	-16	-14	really low profile during first hitbox; less low profile during second hitbox

Low profile doesn't start until the 19th frame, making it considerably worse for sliding under things than in later games. Does decent damage, but doesn't combo into itself from too close. Also notably - on hit if they tech. Just generally not that useful.

Needle Spike

63214K

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block	On-Hit	Invuln
14,11	Overhead	15	9,23	14	-28	-27	none

Really fast overhead with a lot of range and big damage. Would be a great mixup tool if it wasn't massively - on hit, but that is unfortunately not the world we live in. Part of the recovery is grounded, so you can get punished with an infinite.

Super

Ride the Lightning

412364H

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	On-Block	On-Hit	Invuln
29,21x2,29	Mid	15	84	0	-23	-19	none

A super with some good aspects, but a lot of issues.

Let's start with the good. It's very damaging, with each individual hit dealing significant damage. It's also air unblockable, unbelievably big, and relatively fast, making it usable as an anti-air to close out rounds.

Now onto the bad. The super doesn't combo into itself properly if your opponent knows to tech it:

There's a 16f gap between the first and second hits.
There's another 19f gap between the third and final hits.
Both of these give your opponent enough time to jump/airdash out of the way of consecutive hits.

Even if your opponent doesn't know about these gaps and only techs the final hit, you're still - on hit. This makes it a death sentence unless any one hit will kill.

These gaps are also present on block:

The gap between the first and second hits is relatively small, and only characters with very fast normals/dps can capitalize on it. Even then, doing so is difficult.
The gap between the third and final hits is gargantuan, with plenty of time to mash out and punish you.

Even if they block the whole thing, you're still very - and right on top of them.

Oh, and you're counted as grounded during the recovery, so the punish is most likely an infinite.