BBCS: Hakumen Guide by Zio

General Description

Hakumen is buffed in this version compared to the previous one, overall he's more solid a character now. That does not mean he is not without his flaws.

If you're looking for a character that can throw a beating right from the start without any kind of planning, you're looking at the wrong character.

Hakumen works like any other power based fighter, he demands a lot of patience. Something I still find hard to give at times. Melee zoning may be an option now but, like any option, it can be countered if overused. I'd leave it to a player to design his own playstyle, but I'd leave all of you with this advice. Do not ignore any of Hakumen's movelist. There really is a reason for everything.

**Before reading please note that all numerical indicators are joystick motions based off your keyboard numberpad. 5 being neutral position, 6 being forward and 1 being backwards. j would be short for jump. j.2 is to hold your joystick down while jumping. **

Ground Normals:

5a: A standing jab. Like most character's 5a, it is fast and at a good enough height to poke out delayed air to ground attacks. It links to several good connecting comboable normals, like j.B.


6a: A shoulder thrust which moves forward. Allows you to close in on an opponent. It's quite lousy as an anti air now, but it enables players to push forward into unsuspecting players for pressure. Cancels into several normals and drives.


2a: Low scabbard thrust-like poke. This is your staple poke. Fast, good range and it combos into renka. Instant tsubaki for an excellent 50/50 high low mixup, if you managed your gauge well.


5b: A chest height kick which hits crouching opponents anyway. This move can kick opponents out of the air for a good combo opportunity since it seems to stun longer than last time. Unlike last time, they extended the vertical range of this attack so some opponents who do sweeping attacks can get hit now. Counter hit can lead to another 5b or 2b and a good standard j.2a combo after that.


6b: A big stomp that starts at HIS chest height and comes down on the opponent. Breaks guard primer, is an overhead with 2 hits, the overhead is only the first hit. Looks a bit slower than last time, but it's about the same still. Assuming the opponent is about to be guard crushed, I would suggest using 6c instead of this move. It guard crushes on the first hit, then knocks the opponent down on the 2nd without any way to combo.


2b: A low poking kick. Nothing much changed for this move, since it's so basic. Good range, good speed. Combo options with renka. Use it.


5c: A standing downward slash. They made this move significantly faster. Fast enough to combo from non-counter hit j.2c. The swing range is still big and the active frames last long. It still links into specials. It also prorates less compared to last time and it prorates less than the current 2c. On airborne opponents, a well placed 5c can link into another 5c(on counter hit) or a 2c.

Personally I use it to knock IADing chars out of the sky. It may not be the safest thing to do, but the damage pay off is nonsense if you get a hit.


4c: A very fast stab. VERY LONG REACH, VERY FAST. Chest level poke. This move may make opponents yell in frustration if they don't know how to get past it. Use for that fatal strike in the slice of life left stand-off situations. It's not as fast as some other moves, but it's still pretty surprising for the uninitiated. As a trade off they made it have some kind of startup time and a punishable recovery. Does not cancel into anything. On counter, link with 6c(non charged).


6c: A crouched arching long slice. This move has an obvious charge now compared to last time.It cancels into shippu still, which does a lot of damage if connected purely by this move. Breaks guard primer. It allows for some height reduction, so certain air dash attacks can be beaten with this move. Still cancels into supers not specials.

Special section for 6c's massive change in charging. Depending on how much time you spend holding this move down in charge position. You can get one of 3 effects, based on where the opponent was as well. Damage will be fantastic when full charge connects. Most likely opponents will burst at the first sign of a connecting charged 6c. On airborne opponents a full charge strike launches them straight up. The effect is quite comical but, more importantly, it allows you to continue with a combo. A very painful combo. Fatal counters.


2c: A upward sword press. This move is your primary anti air. It has more horizontal range now. It seems to reach higher than it did previously and it definitely hit stuns for slightly longer due to the new hit stun system. This move seems to prorate damage down quite a bit compared to 5c now.


3c: A sweeping slash. A quick swipe at their feet that knocks down. Combos into another 3c or renka. Prorates like 2c. The range is good, speed is good. Punishable, but only if they're close. Use at a slight distance for maximum effectiveness. This is a pretty good move to slice lambda's spike chaser too.


Aerial Normals:

j.a: Jumping punch. Your fastest air to air poke. Links into j.b on air hit.


j.2a: Horizontal sword press. It retains it's hit stun and short attack recovery, they cut the top horizontal range though. Does more damage than 'a' attacks usually do. Fast move, cuts projectiles for effect.


j.b: Jumping kick. Air to air, air to ground. This move made faster and hit stuns longer. While having more horizontal reach. It's one of the few old moves made better. Hakumen's crossup options are much better due to the buffs for this move.


j.c: Jumping sideways slash. Hakumen practically throws the sword in the direction he's facing while still holding onto the grip. It's fast, it has long reach and it has ungodly hit stun. I love this move. Just like 4C, this move will make opponents grit their teeth in frustration trying to approach you from the air.

Good for linking into combos in the corner, especially on counter hit. It allows for a combo when you manage to beat an opponent while he's in a corner, but the damage will be prorated as it reduces damage on combo start. Do a super jump j.c and you can j.c once more before you land. Yes, the recovery for this move is pretty darn good too.


j.2c: Jumping Circular sword slash. The old j.c made faster and hit stuns for slightly longer. A counter hit almost guarantees a followup combo.

Throws:


5/6B+C: Neutral/forward throw. He does a one inch palm strike on the opponent. Combos into guren/renka on everybody.

4B+C: Backthrow. Rapid Cancel for combo, only advised during desperate moments.

J.b+c: Airthrow. He elbows the opponent onto the floor. Combo with j.b/j.2c for pickup.


Specials:
Hakumen's sword releases a void like seal when it comes into contact with projectiles. The void damages opponents when it comes into contact with them and eats up any other projectiles it comes into contact with. This means if the opponent is throwing projectiles at you while you're in the void area, you do NOT take any hits. If the opponent gets hit by this, he cannot tech until he touches the ground. Meaning you can combo off it easily if they're falling straight into your attack range.

This replaces hakumen's previous ability to slice completely through projectiles. IMO it's better since hakumen doesn't get stuck in the same stupid frames for a long duration if he hits something like arakune's bee or distortion beam and it protects him totally from any projectile attack.

Drive

5d: Still has start up. Lasts longer now compared to before. He slams the opponent dead onto the floor, doesn't seem to be comboable but it places the opponent square in front of you. Still doesn't block low attacks.


6d: Does not do damage. Hakumen shoves the opponent and he collapses after spinning. Numerous combos can be achieved from this move, including the now fatal mugen strings. Hold down 6c for full charge after this for a spectacular launch on connecting hit.


2d: Hakumen grabs the aggressor with his feet and slams him into the floor, causing the fella to bounce slightly away. Allows a 5c/6c/guren followup. Does not counter overhead attacks.


j.d: Hakumen grabs the aggressor with his feet and tosses him skyward. Combos damn well, you check YOUR height from the ground, not the jump height of the opponent. If height is within one normal jump, you can land and 5c/2c into a good j.2a/j.c combo. If it's above then you have to jump back up and j.b into something else. Whatever it is, this is his new abusable drive move.


Ground Specials

Guren (1 star): 214a
This is a quick bash with the scabbard of his sword, on ground hits it allows for a cancel into either zantetsu or renka. On air hits it bounces the opponent off the wall, allowing for a 6c followup. On counter ground hit you can still link 5c/6c.


Kishuu (1 star): 623a
This is hakumen's command dash. Has better invuln now and better recovery after the dash. Does nothing else unless you perform the followup. This move goes under ragna's 5b, enough said.


Enma (1 star): after kishuu is inputted press a again.
This is the followup from kishuu. He uppercuts the opponent and launches him. After which you can 2c or jump cancel and j.c/2c. Has the same attributes as kishuu. Lifts opponents off the floor for standard j.2c j.c combo string.


Renka (2 stars): 214b
A double kick. First kick still low, second one still mid. The prorate properties were revised so it's not so obvious now. Better to just go through with the whole thing than leave it at the first kick if you don't have more than 1 magatama. You can't roll into any special anymore so it's not AS useful, but it's still your fastest ground special. You CAN however, quick rise into it, just limits the scenarios in which you can wake-up special. Use this to mix up or pick up downed opponents.


Zantetsu (3 stars): 41236c
An overhead slash followed by a sweeping slash. The slowest of your overhead specials. First hit hurts like hell, second one is just a low damage juggle to keep the opponent airborne. Not as useful on it's own anymore due to the buffs they gave Tsubaki(the move not the char). Breaks guard primer. Fatal counter.


Aerial Specials:

Hotaru (2 stars): 214b
Shoryuken type kick. It hits a lot higher than most would expect. It jump resets but does not reset your airdash. You can only do one every time you leave the ground though. You can dash(back and forward) and cancel into this move. Breaks guard primer. Fatal Counter.


Tsubaki (3 stars): 214c
A quick spinning smashing slash. Your fastest overhead. Knocks down. As long as you're within one jump's height away from the floor you can continue beating on the downed opponent with 5c/2c. Same dash cancelling as hotaru. Breaks guard primer.


Distortion Heat

Shippu (4 stars): 632146c
Hakumen channels energy into his blade and releases all of it in a single downward strike. Opponents on the floor CAN be hit by BOTH the strike and the projectile bladewave now. It breaks 2 guard primers. Still chargeable.

IF by chance you charge THIS move up fully AND the opponent gets hit by it. It's a definite tide turning moment. I estimate a single clean stroke at full charge to be 6k dmg. No, this is not an impossible feat. Assuming you've been playing your mindgames well enough and measured the distance nicely.


Yukikaze (4 stars): 236236d
Distortion counter move. Freezes opponent on connect with counter barrier. Does not freeze opponent if projectile hits. Blocks both high and low now. Fatal Counters

Mugen (8 stars): 214214b
Mugen will allow you to do any move including the distortion heats, regardless of how much gauge you have, while it is in effect. It allows for a guaranteed tide turning combo while you still have 5 magatama left within your countdown.

Astral Heat


Akumetsu (8 stars): charge 2>8d
The other counter hakumen has, except this one counters throws but not projectiles.The super freeze is weird, but typically a move that is out will definitely hit/trigger this.

Different Combo Strategy Note

Because of how hakumen's normals don't usually gattling into each other, his combos will be quite awkward to perform. Due to the nature of each strike though, his general combo concept is based off knowing when a move hit stuns long enough for you to connect to another move.

His specials gattling into each other though. So for most hakumen beginners, a main source of damage comes from hitting the opponent once with a normal and chaining that to several specials.

For the more advanced hakumen players, they'll utilise specials only to put the opponent in a position where they can easily combo normals.

To illustrate what I said I will provide a rookie and a regular's combo. The first is an example of a rookie combo, the second is an example of a regular's combo. The ">" sign is the break between two seperate moves.

Combo 1: 5C > 214A > 41236C > 623A (followup)A > jump > j.C


Combo 2: 5C > 623A (followup)A > jump > j.2C > land > 2C > jump > j.2A > airdash > j.2A > j.C

Once a player gets better, he/she would be able to gauge when and where to chain moves and naturally attain other better combos. For now, getting used to hakumen's special types of combo is the priority.

If you wish to learn or discuss more about Hakumen, please visit the thread at Round1.sg forums HERE