P4AU/Ken Amada: Difference between revisions

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Command move. Ken uses his spear to spike the opponent, leaving them grounded on hit. Opponents knocked down by j.2B can be relaunched info another air combo. A very useful tool for converting air confirms. While two frames faster than j.B, j.2B is a weaker starter than j.B due to proration, so combos that begin with j.B will need to be truncated if started with j.2B.  
Command move. Ken uses his spear to spike the opponent, leaving them grounded on hit. Opponents knocked down by j.2B can be relaunched into another air combo. A very useful tool for converting air confirms. While two frames faster than j.B, j.2B is a weaker starter than j.B due to proration, so combos that begin with j.B will need to be truncated if started with j.2B.  
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Revision as of 21:01, 1 October 2014

Ken Amada and Korumaru(Normal)

Introduction

P-1 Climax Nickname: "The Pretentious Tenderfoot Duo"
Persona: Kala-Nemi (Ken) and Cerberus (Koromaru)
Arcana: Justice (Ken) and Strength (Koromaru)
Backstory: Ken Amada and Koromaru are both former Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad (SEES) members. Originally introduced in Persona 3, both fought to end the Dark Hour and to rid the world of Shadows after experiencing loss firsthand, awakening their true potential. Three years later, Ken and Koromaru are revealed to be living together at the old dormority in Port Island while Ken attempts to fulfill his promise to Mitsuru to be a "normal" kid; however, the capture of the other Shadow Operatives and the seeming return of the Dark Hour put the pair right back into combat. Ken fights with a spear while Koromaru wields a kunai between his teeth. Fighting together, the two become a team capable of holding their own: Koromaru excels in close-quarters combat, with fast, short-reaching attacks that can interrupt opponents, while Ken uses his spear to launch his offence from a distance before pulling the opponent in for the kill.

Overview

Health: 8,500
Persona Cards: 2
Play-style: Puppet Character
Air-Movement Options: 1 Double Jump/Airdash, 1 run-type dash with dash acceleration

Pros/Strengths:

  • Amazing reach on most normals with the ability to convert into damage on hit, with or without meter
  • Devastating pressure game that keeps opponents locked down
  • Able to punish opponents even at far range for high damage
  • Strong air-to-air and air combo options complemented by a huge jump arc


Cons/Weaknesses:

  • Slow start-up and recovery on most of Ken's moves, meaning Koromaru must be able to cover Ken's recovery on whiff
  • Lacks strong mix-ups and has no real way to force opponents to block low
  • Unreliable anti-air and Furious Action, leaving him without a reversal option outside of Awakening
  • Players must manage Koromaru's health at all times in order to succeed
  • Without Koromaru, Ken has limited meterless options for pressure
  • High skill curve relative to most other cast members due to Ken's playstyle and unique gatlings


External References:


Move List

See also: Ken Full Frame Data

Normal Attacks

5A
P4AU Ken 5A.png
P4AU Ken 5AA.png
P4AU Ken 5AAA.png
Version Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv. Attribute
5A 300 Any 8 - - -3 Body
5AA - Any - - - -10 Body
5AAA - Any - - - +1 or -17 Body
  • 5AAA performs 5C simultaneously. Frame advantage for 5AAA is dependent on whether or not Koromaru attacks as well. Without Koromaru, 5AAA is -17.

The first half of Ken's auto-combo. From 5A, 5AA and 5AAA will combo at any range, but 5AAA provides limited follow-up options due to Koromaru being committed to 5C. To improve options, 5AAA can be inputted as 5A5A4A, which gives Ken's 5AAA while allowing the player to input a separate command for Koromaru. Like all 5AAAs, Ken's builds 1/8th of the burst gauge and 13 meter on hit. If Koromaru is incapacitated or removed from play, the string is highly negative on block. While useful for combos when using the alternative input, as with any 5A chain, use carefully, particularly when fighting without Koromaru. 5AA is not a blockstring and many characters can completely disrespect it by mashing, DPing, or rolling.

Continuing the autocombo leads into Charge Thrust, Gigantic Impact, and Fire Breath; however, much like Mitsuru's autocombo in the original Arena, Ken's autocombo will drop if done at max range.

5B
P4AU Ken 5B.png
Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv. Attribute
600 Any 12 - - -25 -

A spear attack with tremendous horizontal range and a staple move for combos, blockstrings, and pressure. While it has relatively fast start-up for its range, its recovery is poor, so its use as a poke should be used but not abused, particularly if Koromaru is unavailable. On hit and counter hit, 5B can be gatlinged into Charge Thrust for a combo. When at a safe distance, 5B can be whiffed to bait jump-ins due to its animation but opponents able to close the gap quickly can easily punish this tactic.

2A
P4AU Ken 2A.png
Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv. Attribute
200 Low 6 - - +1 -

A low-hitting poke with surprisingly good range. Ken's fastest normal at 6f. However, it cannot be cancelled into itself, nor can it be gatlinged into 5A. From 2A, Ken can cancel into 2B, 5B, and 2AB. A staple move for blockstrings and low chains. Despite being fast relative to Ken's other normals, 2A's start-up is significantly slower than most other 2As and 5As and it can easily be baited and beaten if used to attempt poking out of an opponent's pressure.

2B
P4AU Ken 2B.png
Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv. Attribute
300, 500 Any, AUB 10, 18 - - -19 Body
  • Start-up values are listed for each hit of 2B.
  • Head invuln during the second, air-unblockable hit, but it's currently unknown when invuln frames begin and end.

Ken's anti-air attack, though seldom used for that purpose due to 2B being a two-hit move. The first hit is a mid strike that can be blocked on the ground or in the air, while the second hit is air-unblockable. The lengthy start-up and difficulty of timing Ken's head invuln frames to an opponent's jump makes this move a risky response to jump-ins done at close range. However, 2B is quite useful in blockstrings when cancelled to 5B after the first hit and is a strong starter for counter-hit combos. An essential move for blockstrings and low chains.

j.A
P4AU Ken JA.png
Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv. Attribute
240*3 [480] High 7 - - - -

A fast jumping attack that hits up to three times. Each hit is an overhead. Cancel options are the same regardless of which of the strikes hits the opponent, allowing for easy conversions into a combo, knockdown, and damage. Due to its speed, active frames, and large forward hitbox, j.A is often the better response to jump-ins than 2B and is fast enough to punish certain moves, such as Minazuki's teleports, that can't be anti-aired with 2B. On hit, it can be can cancelled into itself to maintain favourable spacing in the air. After a knockdown, j.A is a common starter as delaying the attack slightly creates j.A(1) and j.A(2), giving Ken a fast one or two hit overhead into pressure.

j.B
P4AU Ken jB.png
Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv. Attribute
600 High 15 - - - -

A wide-ranging jumping attack with an amazing hitbox, similar to Labrys's j.B. While slower than j.A, j.B allows Ken to cross-up opponents due to the move's range. Can be cancelled into from j.A, and j.B can be cancelled into j.2B for a knockdown and relaunch, making j.B integral to air combos. In pressure, a deep j.B can be used in conjunction with Koromaru's moves, but j.B cannot be used as an instant overhead. A fantastic jump normal with a plethora of uses and one of Ken's best combo starters.

j.2B
P4AU Ken j2B.png
Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv. Attribute
700 High 13 - - - -

Command move. Ken uses his spear to spike the opponent, leaving them grounded on hit. Opponents knocked down by j.2B can be relaunched into another air combo. A very useful tool for converting air confirms. While two frames faster than j.B, j.2B is a weaker starter than j.B due to proration, so combos that begin with j.B will need to be truncated if started with j.2B.

Guard Cancel Attack
P4AU Ken 5AA.png
Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv. Attribute
000 - - - - - -

Ken's Guard Cancel Assault is based on his 5AA animation, giving it a large hitbox. No frame data is available for Guard Cancels but testing suggests Ken's to be -20 to -22 frames on block. Like all GCAs, Ken's has autoguard through the duration of the move, blasts the opponent away on hit, does no damage, and does not allow any combo beginning from the GCA to kill. Thanks to its size, Ken's GCA is actually functional. Can be One More! Cancelled.

All Out Attack
A+B
P4AU Ken AOA.png
Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv. Attribute
300 High 32 - - - -
  • Fatal Recovery.

Universal overhead, and an incredibly slow one with 32 frames of start-up. While it covers a huge horizontal distance, the animation is highly telegraphed. On hit, Ken's AoA leads into huge damage, but because it's unlikely you'll hit most opponents with it, use cautiously, particularly since the move has Fatal Recovery. Unlike most other AoAs, Ken's gains guardpoint much earlier than most, but Ken can still be hit or thrown out of the attack before it becomes active, and characters like Shadow Labrys can simply DP the move on reaction. Because the attack leaves Ken airborne, AoA > OMC allows Ken to go for mix-up by adding an extra high after the OMC. A very, very unsafe move to throw out without some way to cancel or cover the recovery on block or whiff.

Sweep
2A+B
P4AU Ken Sweep.png
Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv. Attribute
900 Low 18 - - -8 -
  • Frame advantage is listed for the sweep without hop-canceling the recovery.

Ken rests on one knee and twirls his spear to sweep the opponent. Universal low. Like many of Ken's moves, has quite a bit of horizontal range in exchange for slower start-up. Used in combos to position Koromaru behind opponents or to safely heal with Mediarama.


Koromaru Attacks

5C
P4AU Ken 5C.png
Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv. Attribute
560 Any 19 (50 if used after 5D) - - +23 -
  • List what the move is used for
  • List interesting properties in bullet points like invul, fatal

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2C
P4AU Ken 2C.png
Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv. Attribute
560 Any 21 - - +23 -
  • List what the move is used for
  • List interesting properties in bullet points like invul, fatal

Follow the Help:Writing_Character_Pages guidelines

5D/2D/j.D
P4AU Ken 5D.png
Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv. Attribute
- - - - - - -

Summons/de-summons Korumaru. While leaving the stage, his health starts to slowly recover, but will not be able to do any normals or specials until he is re-summoned. Persona SP skills are able to be done without Kuromaru, but are weakened drastically.

j.C
Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv. Attribute
560 Any - - - - -
  • List what the move is used for
  • List interesting properties in bullet points like invul, fatal

Follow the Help:Writing_Character_Pages guidelines

j.D
Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv. Attribute
- - - - - - -
  • List what the move is used for
  • List interesting properties in bullet points like invul, fatal

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Throws

Ground Throw
C+D
P4AU Ken GroundThrow.png
Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv. Attribute
0, 1000 - 5 3 - - Throw
  • List what the move is used for
  • List interesting properties in bullet points like invul, fatal

Follow the Help:Writing_Character_Pages guidelines

Air Throw
j.C+D
P4AU Ken JCD.png
Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv. Attribute
0, 1200 - 4 3 - - Throw
  • List what the move is used for
  • List interesting properties in bullet points like invul, fatal

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Furious Action

Vile Assault
B+D
P4AU Ken BD.png
Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv. Attribute
700, 350 Any 15 - - - -

Universal DP. Ken strikes the opponent with an upward thrust of his spear that carries him off-screen for a brief time, then reappears a set distance from his takeoff point and performs a second strike. If the first hit whiffs or is blocked, then Ken will not perform the second hit. On hit, this move does quite a bit of damage and can carry Ken from the corner to mid-screen (with an opponent knocked even further back), but it is a poor reversal due to its slow start-up and lengthy animation. Ken does not cross-up the opponent. On block, an opponent can simply walk forward to force a cross-up, but the DP does not correct for this and Ken will land with his back to an opponent and open to a massive counter-hit combo. Incredibly risky as a means of escaping pressure, but useful in combos for adding damage. Can be used to call out certain moves (particularly those done at super-jump height).


Skill Attacks

Charge Thrust
236A/B
P4AU Ken ChargeThrust.png
Version Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv. Attribute
A 400, 200 Any 17 - - -17 -
B 500, 250 Any 25 - - +1 -
SB 500, 250 Any 19 - - +7 -

Ken sends out his spear on a chain, hitting the opponent and then pulling them in. This is what allows Ken to destroy zoners, but the move has lengthy start-up and an obvious animation, allowing the opponent to jump the move on reaction. There is no dead zone. Charge Thrust trades with multi-hit projectiles.

  • A version goes half screen and is quite fast. Combos from 5B.
  • B version is a Fatal Counter move, goes almost full screen but is slower than the A version. Does not combo off 5B without Counter Hit starter.
  • SB version seems to go the range of B but at the speed of A. Lots of hit-stun on this version.

All versions leave the opponent standing on ground hit and cause ground slide toward Ken on air hit. All versions of Charge Thrust can be cancelled into any version of the follow-up attack (see below). However, Charge Thrust is incredibly unsafe on whiff, meaning Koromaru must be able to cover the recovery frames in case of failure.

Gigantic Impact Persona Required
A/B after Charge Thrust
P4AU Ken GiganticImpact.png
Version Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv. Attribute
A - - - - - -10 -
B - - - - - +5 -
SB - - - - - +3 -
  • List what the move is used for
  • List interesting properties in bullet points like invul, fatal

Follow the Help:Writing_Character_Pages guidelines

Mediarama Persona Required
214A/B
P4AU Ken Mediarama.png
Version Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv. Attribute
A - - - - - - -
B - - - - - - -
SB - - - - - - -

Heals Ken and Koromaru a set amount. Fast start-up, long recovery. If hit during recovery, Ken will lose a persona card. Likely baitable if the opponent is watching Koromaru's meter, as with Aigis's Orgia mode changes.

Zan-ei
236C/D air OK
P4AU Ken ZanEi.png
Version Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv. Attribute
C 500, 50*n [700] Any 24 - - +28 -
D 500, 50*n [800] Any 36 - - +26 -
SB 500, 100*n [1100] - 22 - - +35 -
  • List what the move is used for
  • List interesting properties in bullet points like invul, fatal

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Getsu-ei
214C/D
P4AU Ken GetsuEi.png
Version Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv. Attribute
C 300, 30*n [480] Any 43 - - - -
D 300, 30*n [480] Any 51 - - - -
SB 500, 50*n [1100] Any 43 - - +62 -
  • List what the move is used for
  • List interesting properties in bullet points like invul, fatal

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SP Skill Attacks

Thunder Reign Persona Required
236236A/B
Version Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv. Attribute
A 2000 Any 7 - - - Projectile
B 2600 Any 7 - - - Projectile
SB 2600 Any 7 - - - Projectile
  • All versions are Fatal Recovery.
  • SB version causes Shock on hit.
  • List what the move is used for
  • List interesting properties in bullet points like invul, fatal

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Fire Breath Persona Required
236236C/D air OK
Version Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv. Attribute
C 1800 Any - - - - Projectile
D 1500 (3250) Any - - - - Projectile
SB 1500 (3250) Any - - - - Projectile
  • List what the move is used for
  • List interesting properties in bullet points like invul, fatal

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Awakened SP Skill Attacks

Ultimate Cross
214214A/B
P4AU Ken UltimateCross.png
Version Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv. Attribute
A 3000 (2200) Any 7 - - - -
B 3450 (2400) Any 7 - - - -
SB 3450 (2400) Any 7 - - - -
  • Can be One More! Cancelled on block only.
  • List what the move is used for
  • List interesting properties in bullet points like invul, fatal

Follow the Help:Writing_Character_Pages guidelines


Instant Kill

Total Annihilation Persona Required
222C+D
P4AU Ken IK.png
Damage Guard Startup Active Recovery Frame Adv. Attribute
K.O. Any - - - - -

Ken whistles to call for Koromaru, who then sprints to the opponent while creating a streak of fire. If the fire hits the opponent, the instant kill completes for over 57,000 damage. A very fast IK but completely blockable. Koromaru must be on screen in order to use Ken's IK. Like Fire Breath, this move starts from Koromaru's position and not Ken's, so the closer Koromaru is to an opponent, the less time they'll have to react to the IK's animation. Can be used to punish certain supers due to its speed and range.


Strategy

General Tactics

In this part, you can talk about anything you feel like beginner players should know.

Ken's Throw and Input Reversal
Ken's ground throw has unique properties due to the fact that it forces Ken and his opponent to swap sides. His normal ground throw (5/6CD) leaves the opponent behind Ken, moving Ken to the opposite side and reversing his inputs for subsequent moves. However, for the duration of the throw's animation, the system considers Ken to be on the player one side, despite the visual switch occurring much earlier. Therefore, when performing a normal throw, any commands used during the throw should be inputted though Ken has not yet switched sides with the opponent. When performing a back throw (4CD), the opponent will land in front of Ken, but despite the animation and the lack of a side-swap, the system automatically reverses inputs for the duration of the throw. While Ken's back throw functions as his forward or "normal" throw, the game assumes "normal" rules apply and treats his back throw as if it causes a change in player position. In short:

  • Normal ground throw: inputs are not reversed until the throw has ended, despite the side-swap occurring early in the animation. As soon as the throw ends, the game registers the side-swap and inputs are subsequently adjusted.
  • Back throw: inputs are reversed for the duration of the throw, then return to normal after the throw animation has completed.

Understanding when the system determines your position is crucial for using Ken's throw in combos and pressure. During corner pressure, Ken's normal throw will toss the opponent out of the corner, making his back throw preferable for maintaining offense. However, because the game assigns player position at the start of the throw and again after its animation, being able to recognize the start and end of the input reversal is required for some throw combos and when using Ken's throw in high-pressure situations, throwing an opponent out of pressure, etc. While Ken can always combo off his throw with a One More! Cancel, he can turn his throw into a combo without meter by using his throw in conjunction with Koromaru's attacks or by buffering the next move in the combo. While many throw combos are unaffected by the system's decisions regarding player position, internalizing the input change allows you to capitalize off unexpected throw opportunities.

Use training mode to learn the specific timing of input changes and to memorize the visual cues to avoid mishaps!

Split up your topics like this

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  • Like this.

Add more asterisks to further indent your text as necessary.


Tips and Tricks

Combos

Combo Notation Guide:
> = cancel into the next attack
, = link the next attack after preceding move's recovery
jc = jump cancel
hjc = high jump cancel
dc = dash cancel
(N) = only use the Nth attack of the move (for example, if 5D(1) is written, you only use the first hit of 5D)
(move) = whatever's listed in the parentheses is optional
If you have notations that are not listed here but are necessary, feel free to add them as you see fit.

Midscreen

This combo section is designed on a "move starter" basis. However, you can use whatever kind of organization you prefer, as long as it is readable and efficient.

*insert move name* Starter
Notes: In case these combos need notes. If they do not, you can remove this line.
Point 1

  • move > move > special >> special NOTE: this is only a base. your combos do not have to follow this format.
Requirements: -- (ex: 50 heat, Overdrive, crouching opponent. if no requirements, leave as is)
Damage: ----, Heat Gain: --
+ move =' Damage: ----, Heat Gain: -- NOTE: if a necessary combo is very similar to a previous one, you can add options like this.
Notes: Write notes for the combo if necessary.

Point 2

Copy and paste the code from Point 1 to Point 2 as many times as you need to.

Midscreen to Corner

Corner Only