Arcana Heart for PS2 - Kamui Guide
Version 1.00 by Joshua Vaughn, a.k.a. Mikadok on GameFAQs/GameSpot and
I Kei I on Gaia Online and Shoryuken.com
Xbox Live Gamertag: I Kei I
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Copyright info
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Copyright 2008 Joshua Vaughn
All trademarks and copyrights contained in this document are owned by their
respective trademark and copyright holders.
This may not be reproduced under any circumstances except for personal,
private use. It may not be placed on any web site or otherwise distributed
publicly without advance written permission. Use of this guide on any other
website or as a part of any public display is strictly prohibited, and a
violation of copyright.
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Legend
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U = Up
D = Down
F = Forward
B = Back
u/f = up/forward
d/f = down/forward
d/b = down/back
u/b = up/back
qcf = quarter-circle forward, or d, d/f, f
qcb = quarter-circle back, or d, d/b, b
hcf = half-circle forward, or b, d/b, d, d/f, f
hcb = half-circle back, or f, d/f, d, d/b, b
dp = Dragon Punch motion, or f, d, d/f
rdp = Reverse Dragon Punch motion, of b, d, d/b
360 = full circular motion
j. = jumping
s. = standing
c. = crouching
dj. = double jumping
IAD = instant air dash
(A) = Light Attack (Square)
(B) = Medium Attack (Triangle)
(C) = Strong Attack (Circle)
(S) = Special Attack/Homing button
A+S (R2) = Throw. There are two normal throws for each, done with A+S neturally
or with left or right held, respectively. For most of the characters, the
neutral throw is a mulithit throw that will launch their opponent. Others have
a multihitter that will leave their opponent in a stun long enough to follow up
with a combo.
A+B+C (L1) = A.Act or Arcana Activation
+ = Means to press any noted directions and buttons simultaneously, such as in
f+A
xx = cancel into the next move
When buttons are noted together without separation, such as in ABC, it means to
press noted attack buttons simultaneously.
When explaining combos later in the guide, the number notation normally seen in
refernce to games such as the Guilty Gear and Soul Calibur series may be used.
For those unfamiliar, here is a small explanation that will hopefully clarify
it.
The notation in question coincides with the numberpad on your computer
keyboard.
7 8 9
4 5 6
1 2 3
So in short, 8 would be up, 2 would be down, 4 would be left, and 6 would be
right, with the other numbers representing the diagonal directions. In other
words, the motion qcf+A would be abbreviated thorugh the number system as 236A.
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Terms
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OTG = Off The Ground. Basically means that a move can pick up or hit a knocked
down opponent, so long as they don't tech roll.
TK = Tiger Knee (explained in detail below)
(SC) = Move can be Super Cancelled
HC = Homing Cancel. Press S just as any physical attack either lands or is
guarded. This will allow you to cancel the animation of a move, similar to
Roman Canceling from the Guilty Gear series, though it also allows you to
literally home in on your opponent's location by holding the button, sending
you dashing or flying wherever they are as you would when normally holding the
button. Needless to say, this is important to know so that you can take any
combo opportunities a launcher might present.
FHC = Forward Homing Cancel. The same as the aforementioned Homing Cancel,
except you will dash straight forward instead of taking to the air or being
able maneuver yourself in any sort of angle during the dash. Done by pressing
forward as you do an HC.
BHC = Backward Homing Cancel. The same as a Homing Cancel in every way except
for the fact that your character will make a small movement backward before
dashing forward. Done by pressing backward as you do an HC. Backward Homing
Cancels have small windows of invincibilty on them until the initial backward
movement is complete.
GHC = Guard Homing Cancel. Just as with a normal Homing Cancel, except that, as
the name implies, this is done as you guard an opponent's attack. As with a
normal Homing Cancel, there are three variations, those being neutral, backward
and forward. The forward variation is crucial to remember, since as you move
forward a barrier of sorts forms in front of your character for a scant moment
or two that will clash with any subsequent physical attacks. Utilize this to
keep yourself on the offensive as much as possible.
Tech Recover = S when knocked down, as you hit the ground, or during a strong
knockback as you're about to hit the wall. Not all moves allow a tech recovery.
Kamui was the first choice I made when I first looked into Arcana Heart, and
since then, I've mained her, finding her to be rather effective both with and
without the aid of her Arcana (though I'd NEVER recommend that anyone use a
character without using anything related to the Arcana).
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Pros
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+ Great range.
+ Good priority on most of her normals; many of them are jump cancellable.
+ Special moves have many uses and are altogether very quick to come out.
+ Good damage output on Supers that hit on their own; supers are easy to chain
and combo into.
+ Many ways to set up for damaging combos on her own, and has some of the
better combos in the game with different Arcana.
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Cons
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- Some normals, while having their uses, will be quite prone to either
clashing with an opponent's strikes or trading hits with them.
- Needs to send the opponent airborne for some of her more damaging combos.
- Damage output on supers gets horribly nerfed when comboed into.
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Kamui
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Normals to keep in mind
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As stated above, some of her normals may end up clashing more often than not
with other characters' normals, but they aren't entirely useless or without
their noteworthy nuances to keep in mind. That being said, her most useful
normals and their general uses will be explained here.
s.B - A great poke for Kamui with good range, it's possible to jump cancel this
attacks, and it can chain into...
s.C - ...her standing C attack. On its own, though this attack comes out more
slowly than her standing B, it has great range, and covers a decent arc
vertically in front of her as well, making it an okay move to use to intercept
airborne opponents.
j.B - A more than solid aerial poke for Kamui. This move is great for air-to-
air battles due to it having height enough to hit adversaries that are somewhat
above her, and is jump cancellable, which makes it her staple move for air
combos. The range on the move gives Kamui some of the best space control
amongst all of the combatants as well.
j.C - This has good range as well, but is angled downward, and doesn't come out
as quickly as her j.B, which makes her j.B more useful for air-to-air
situations. However, this is a decent tool to use when using a homing dash to
close the gap on your opponent.
c.C - Kamui's sweep. Unlike other sweeps, this one has a rather short range to
it, which means that you must be closer than others would need to be in order
to hit it. As a tradeoff, however, it's also one of the quickest sweep attacks
in the game, being quite hard to punish, even after an opponent guard cancels
in any form or fashion. The fact that it can be chained into her special and
super moves, as well as he universal launcher, makes it all the better.
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Movelist
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Command Moves
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d/f+B - An upward slash that is jump cancellable and comes out fairly quickly.
Covering a nice vertical range, it makes for a decent at best anti-air to
attempt every now and then, since it can lead to combo opportunities. It does,
however, end up being clashed or outright beaten by most other normals, though,
so don't overuse it.
j.d+C - Kamui does a downward slash that has very nice priority and can crossup
an opponent, making it an excellent move to use on opponents on wakeup.
f+C - Kamui's version of the universal wallslam, this is a short range forward
slash. Whether charged or not, upon execution, the actual attack is quick to
happen, which makes it useful to use despite its range, mostly during mixups,
and the usual followups to a wallslam apply here as well.
d/f+C - The universal launcher. This move covers a nice vertical range, so used
properly, it can be a valid anti-air. Other than that, there isn't much else to
say about this move, since she has better options for either getting her
opponent airborne or keeping them aloft for air combos and the like.
Throws
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A+S - Kamui slashes the opponent three times, the third slash being a launcher
that you can follow upon easily for air combos.
b or f+A+S - Kamui slides past you while slashing you with her sword. A good
throw to use because of the opponent being left grounded, opening them for
wakeup games.
j.A+S - Kamui's airthrow is one of the best in the game, because it's one of
the only ones that not only allow you to follow up for more comboing, but it
allows Kamui to double jump in midair again, as if though she had never done so
beforehand, which makes her aerial combat just as versatile as her ground
combat.
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Special Moves
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Kamui's special moves are all useful in their own ways, mainly because they
either execute fairly quickly in general, they have good priority, or both.
Uruma: hcf+A, B or C
Kamui dashes forward at a rather low height parallel to the ground, slashing
the enemy once she makes contact with them. The button pressed determines just
how far she will dash forward with the move, A being the shortest distance and
C being the longest. The buttons also change the effects of the slash in
general. A will simply hit you, leaving you stunned for a brief moment. B
knocks you airborne. C sends you flying back for a wallslam.
Habaki: Hold b, press f+A, B or C
Kamui slashes twice, creating an X shaped projectile in front of her. The first
slash actually connects as an attack, while the projectile itself counts as a
second hit. Like with the Uruma, the distance the projectile will travel is
depent on the strength of the button you launch it with. The charge time is
very quick, too, so while you can only launch one until it leaves the screen,
once it does, another can be launched right behind it if you so choose.
Tenza: rdp+A, B or C in midair only
A circular slash that surrounds Kamui entirely, this attack has the enviable
task of almost being a jack-of-all-trades sort of move for her, being her main
air combo ender, a quick overhead when tiger kneed, a decent anti-air due to
the vertical height of the move as well, and a great way to keep space
controlled. The number of hits is determined by the strength of the button
pressed, A getting one hit, B getting two, and C getting three. The multiple
hit versions of the move won't knock an enemy to the ground until the last hit,
making chaining into her Seizan super move a matter of where you are in
relation to your opponent if this move hits. It's also important to note that
the B and C versions will take you higher than the A version, so the A version
is most recommended when you tiger knee this move for use as a quick overhead.
One last small detail to make note of is that tiget kneeing this move can be
either by the usual b,d,d/b, b, u/b motion, or, for the cost of one homing
meter, you can press S, which you pick you up a small height off the ground
where you can input the normal motion.
Kofu: dp+A, B or C, or in midair, dp+A or B
Kamui raises her sword, sheath and all, in front of her, the sheath of it
giving a faint glow. This move counters physical attacks and absorbs and
reflects some projectiles. The button pressed determines where Kamui will
counter, A being High, B being Mid, and C being low. This move is important to
keep in mind because it helps cover her flaw of not having a truly valid anti-
air like Heart or Saki. Unlike other counters in other games, the height you
use truly depends on where your opponent will strike your body, which means
that your opponent can come in with a kick from midair that's bound for your
head, which means you'd have to counter high. If they use that same kick,
however, and come in deep with it, you'll have to use your mid counter to
defend against it. While grounded, the A version will launch the opponent, the
B version will cause Kamui to use her d/f+C slash, and the C version will sweep
the opponent cleanly.
While in midair, her A Kofu will counter attacks incoming from abover her head,
doing her Tenza slash as a counterattack, and the B version will counterattack
moves from below her or parallel to her with her j.d+C attack.
Wazahane: d,d+A, B or C in midair
Kamui descends from the air rapidly in her j.d+C animation in a straight
downward swath. This move knocks down on contact, and it descends quickly
enough for Kamui to close the gap on an opponent below her in midair with
little difficulty. This move can hit an opponent that is laying flat on their
back, which makes it a nice addition to the end of any air combo, and it's safe
on block as well.
Kunugi: d,d+A or B
Kamui gives up a portion of her health to either gain an stock of super gauge
(A version), or a homing gauge (B version). The B version is NOT recommended at
all, since homing gauges recover fairly quickly as it is, anyway, and the A
version should mainly be used when you're low on health, anyway. Giving up a
pixel or so of health to gain a super gauge may be the turning point for you.
It goes without saying, however, not to do it in close, since you're wide open
during the animation, regardless of the fact that it's relatively short.
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Super Moves
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Muon: qcf+A+B (consumes one level of the super gauge)
Kamui rushes forth, dashing past the opponent for a sizeable amount of damage.
This is a great super to use because it allows her to easily punish many
whiffed moves, even from a far distance, and it can be comboed into just as
easily from her normals, or even her A or C version Uruma. Definitely something
to keep in the back of your mind.
Seizan: rdp+A+B in midair
This move covers the same basics that the A version of her Tenza does. However,
being much more damaging, your opponent will likely be on the lookout for it.
Good for punishing aerial attacks from your opponent, and if you're quick on
the tiger knee motion, it's also great for countering sweeps. A drawback to
this move, however, is that if you use a long combo, the move suffers terribly
from damage reduction as a result, so it isn't recommended for use as a long
combo finisher.
Kodama: hcb+A+B
Kamui creates a red X shaped energy bolt in front of her that doesn't move so
long as you're still holding at least one of the two buttons used to do it
after execution. Needless to say, A is the recommended button to hold, which
will allow you to do combos with B and C while holding the projectile in place.
This can set your opponent up for some fairly nasty combos when used properly.
It's also nice to use for ground mindgames with launchers, though as with any
other supers, doing it repeatedly in any one way isn't recommended, since your
opponent will begin to counteract your set up attempts with FHCs.
Shimatsuri: d,d,d+A+B during a successful Kofu while grounded (requires 3 super
gauges)
Kamui flashes her blade as though she were doing Kunugi, then dashes through
you as in Muon, only this time, you're slashed a multiude of times for massive
damage (around 50% damage), so this move is definitely worth the risk of
trying, so long as you have the meter to spare and are sure you can properly
anticipate your opponent's next move.
Of course, I myself would encourage whomever plays to use any arcana that they
feel befits them best. These are just my personal recommendations for Arcana
for Kamui to use.
*Anutpada, Arcana of Time: Though the combos possible with Anutpada are quite
situational, the fact of the matter is that, when utilized properly, the Time
arcana can allow Kamui to do massive damage to an enemy in a very short span.
*Lang-Gong, Arcana of Fire: The sheer damage that this Arcana will allow Kamui
to do during combos as well as the purposes it has for aiding her in rushdowns
is more than a little impressive when used properly.
*Tempstas, Arcana of Wind: The ability to triple jump as well as air dash twice
increases Kamui's air combo potential that much more. It also gives her a
decent projectile to aid in mindgames.
*Gier, Arcana of Shadow: While this arcana does not bestow any sort of passive
abilities, the arcana itself can allow you to pull off some nasty traps and
mindgames, and it compliments Kamui and her penchant for controlling range and
spacing in general fairly well, in my opinion.
**All of the Arcana and their abilities will be covered in full in my Arcana
Guide.**
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Combos
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This will cover a few of Kamui's combos. Requirements for execution (corner,
aerial, arcana requirements etc.) will be noted when necessary.
- A, A, B, C xx 236AB
- A-B-41236B->FHC->3B-(jc)B-dj.B-C xx 421AB
- Neutral A+S throw->HC->A-B-dj.B-C-421A
- 2A-5B-2C-3C->HC->A-B-dj.B-C-421A, B or C xx 421AB
- (with Lang-Gong arcana) 2A-5B-2C-3C->HC->A-B-632146S-B-dj.B-C-632146S-
214A,B or C
- (with Tempestas arcana) 3C launcher or Neutral A+S throw->HC->A-B xx
236236S-B-dj.B-dj.B-C-421A, B or C OR xx into 421AB
Playing Kamui effectively depends on how capable you are of punishing any
whiffed moves that your opponent sends out if possible, as well as utilizing
her great range. Try to keep within range enough of your opponent so that the
length of your best pokes can control the flow of any advancing movements they
may decide to try as best as possible.
Of course, it also depends on the arcana you use, and how you utilize it. Keep
close to your adversary so that any ranged attacks/projectiles won't be as much
of a problem, utilizing your arcana's bestowed abilities to counteract your
opponent's moves, if possible.
If you land any moves while grounded and you have meter, keep in mind that
you've got a free Muon, since the move can combo from nearly any hit you get in
while grounded. Also, keep Kamui's Kofu counters in the back of your mind, as
they not only keep Kamui relatively safe once you've gotten the hang of
countering at certain heights, they'll also give an easy opportunity for you to
get a LOT of damage in when you have 3 or more super gauges stocked, which is
bound to keep an opponent on edge once they find out how damaging that
situation can be.
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I hope that this guide is helpful to whomever may read it. Any information I
might have missed will be added in future updates with proper credits given.
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Special Thanks
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- To Atlus, for releasing this gem of a game stateside. Here's hoping for an
Arcana Heart 2 release in the near future. :)
- To a good friend offline, for pre-ordering this for me.
- To my friends for being willing to delve into this wonderful fighting game
(and several others as well) with me.
