Anakaris is easily Capcom's strangest fighting character ever created. Back in
the days of the early 1990's, Capcom needed a new way to sell its infamous
Street Fighter series. Cleverly, they masked the old game engine with a new
face, namely named "Vampire Hunter" (Darkstalker's in the U.S.). However after
a first glance, one may realize that the characters of Vampire Hunter aren't
quite as Street Fighter oriented as one may think.
Anakaris has appeared in 3 games in Capcom's past, Vampire Hunter, Vampire
Hunter 2 and Vampire Savior. His story involves him being a past pharaoh of
Egypt who swore that he would always defend his people. Some thousand years
later, Anakaris arose out of his sarcophagus to battle against the rest of the
Darkstalkers against Jedah. I'm not sure about his tie to Marvel vs Capcom 2's
storyline (I'm not even sure if Marvel vs Capcom 2 HAS a story line.).
As in all his past games, Anakaris retains his tradition of a slow lumbering
character with strange moves and odd animations. While he has easily been the
most overlooked character in Marvel vs Capcom 2, let me assure you that Anakaris
can be a major threat if played in the proper manner. Of course, I have only
just begun toying with him and in no way am I to be called a master of him.
+ Anakaris has really strange hitting moves, which can easily confuse your
opponent.
+ Anakaris can throw from basically anywhere on the screen.
+ Anakaris is everywhere and nowhere at the same time if played right.
+ Anakaris' slow speed can mask the fact that he has tactics of crossing the
screen quickly (more confusion).
+ Anakaris has HUGELY damaging supers.
+ If you end up using Anakaris well you will get TONS of respect.
- Anakaris has the SLOWEST walking and jumping speed in the game!
- Anakaris can have problems getting in close.
- Anakaris doesn't really have any huge combos to speak of.
- Anakaris as long lag times after almost all his special moves.
- Anakaris is a huge sprite.
1.2 - Movelist
Anakaris' normal moves are the key to winning with him. They are just so
confusing that an opponent often has problems blocking them.
LP
Standing: Anakaris does a strange chop forward. The chop doesn't really come
from high to low, it just thrusts forward. For a LP, this move has LONG range
(rivaled by Hayato's) and can hit enemies easily another sprite's distance away.
The jab is surprisingly fast and very useful. Use this to start all your
combos.
Crouching: 4 of Anakaris' bandages hit forward. Another fast move, the range
on this isn't as good as his standing jab and it can be blocked high. Simply
use it in combos, but little else.
Jumping: Anakaris kicks forward with his foot. The kick is actually very high
but hits directly forward (rather odd hitting angle). Although not being a true
"punch", this has good air-to-air properties due to its medium range and
priority. Often times your opponent will not be expecting such a fast hitting
air move, but that's the idea.
MP
Standing: A chop very similar to his standing LP, albeit with slightly longer
range and lag. Trust me, your only going to be using this in combos (it's a MP
anyway, so you don't have much choice).
Crouching: Anakaris extends both his arms into the ground and they appear in
front of him, emerging from the ground and move forward. I can't believe you
can't perform this move outside of combos! Oh the shame of it all! Capcom's
new button setup wreaks of stinkiness. Ahem, sorry, but let me tell you- back
in the days of Vampire Savior- this was THE anti air move because it was able to
keep your opponents at just the distance you wanted. Oh well, I guess you could
always just launch them instead.
Jumping: A kick similar to his jumping LP with slightly longer reach and lag.
Again, only to be used in combos.
HP
Standing: Anakaris' arms turn into snakes and he extends them forward as they
bite. For a HP, it's not bad. Reminds me of Juggernaut's standing HP, but
without the super armor (boo!). You can use it as a decent poke, but just be
careful of the lag time afterward. Not bad for countering missed moves, so long
as you can time it right.
Crouching: Anakaris extends his arms into the ground and then 4 arms extend out
of the ground and form a vertical cage around him. All I can say is this is one
of the BEST launchers in the game. The priority is so high I've managed to hit
characters out of numerous moves! The speed is excellent as his arms emerge
almost immediately from the under the ground! Finally, Anakaris has coverage on
all sides. What does this mean? You can use it to counter CROSS-UPS! Sure
Anakaris may not have huge combos, but then he'll just use this to take away the
combos of others!
Jumping: Another kick similar to his MP and LP. The range is pretty good and
the damage is very nice. A pretty average jumping move, but not fast enough or
tricky enough to really warrant a lot of use.
LK
Standing: A short-range "soccer" kick forward. Not really of that much use
since its pretty slow and inferior compared to his jab.
Back + LK : A delayed Axe kick which hits twice. Not all that useful, but it
is an overhead.
Crouching: Anakaris slithers his bandages across the ground quickly which
emerge a short distance away in the semi-shape of a foot. Not a bad move, it
comes out quickly and must be blocked low. Its main use stems from the fact
that it is so misleading (sometimes you can barely tell that Anakaris has
initiated the move before his feet appear on screen.)
Jumping: Anakaris motions forward and then two long, LONG legs quickly emerge
from the GROUND and hit upwards! A very confusing move, if you can aim it right
his jumping kicks can be your best friend. Again, it takes a little getting
used to in order to hit the opponent, but once you do, they won't know how to
counter it! The move comes out quickly and will often hit opponents out of any
air attack (due to its low hitting property).
MK
Standing: A longer version of his LK. Only to be used in combos.
Crouching: A longer version of his LK. Only to be used in combos.
Jumping: Basically his jumping MP. Only to be used in combos.
HK
Standing: Anakaris shapes his body into a rather fat sarcophagus, leaves the
ground and hits the opponent with the base. The initial and recovery time are
quite bad, but the main point of this move is that it LEAVES THE GROUND. If you
can anticipate an enemy's sweep, use this move and counter them big time (the
damage is quite nice). You can also move slightly forward or backward by
holding the respective direction when you perform it. I generally use the
retreating one to cover my retreats and the advancing one as a counter move.
Crouching: Basically just his crouching LK again but Anakaris makes an obvious
swing motion with his body. Although not as misleading as his LK, as a sweep
move it is quite useful. The startup and recovery are a tad longer than his
crouching LK, but fast enough to catch an opponent off guard. I would be
careful about letting it get blocked though, there's JUST enough recovery that
there's a possibility you could get air comboed.
Jumping: A long drawn out version of his LK. While the startup and lag are
both way, WAY worse, the damage done by this move as well as the fact that it
knocks your opponent backwards is a good trade off. Use it intermittently with
your LK to confuse your opponents so that they won't be able to guess whether to
attack you in the air or not. Remember, due to the move's low hitting
properties, it will be quite easy to counter an enemy's air attack. It also
covers jumping retreats rather well.
1.3 - Special Movelist
For the most part, Anakaris' special moves are a mixed bag. First of all, I'm
not too wild about using special moves in general (with almost anyone) but if
you know how and when to use Anakaris' special moves, they can be quite damaging
and useful.
Anakaris reaches forward and his hands disappear. They then reappear a distance
away from him and wave around. If your enemy happens to be standing in the
unfortunate spot, Anakaris will grab him/her, swing him/her about for a bit
(wrapped like a mummy!) and then slam them hard into the ground. LP will have
his hands appear a short distance from Anakaris, the HP goes about a full screen
length.
First of all, let me say that this move is hilarious whether he hits or misses.
I love watching Anakaris grab for nothing with his hands sprawling in the air.
Second (and more to the point), the move is a long distance attack, which is
UNBLOCKABLE! Immediate uses here... The key is getting the distance down.
Just for examples...
1.) I've grabbed Cable right before he commits to his Hyper Viper Beam
2.) I've grabbed Ken after a long range fireball (ditto for Dark Sakura)
3.) What? Grabbing Gouki out of the RAGING DEMON!? = )
4.) I've grabbed numerous taunters (haha, laugh at my face eh?)
That being said, it is an extremely useful and annoying move so long as you get
the distance and timing down.
On a sadder note, you must also take notice that his detached hands can be hit
so don't be pulling this move out right in front of your opponent's face or you
could be eating an attack. Even worse, Anakaris is completely vulnerable for
the entire duration (about 2 seconds) from start to finish. Easily enough time
for the enemy to get a super off. In short, get the distance down and you'll be
fine (since you won't have to worry about it getting blocked).
Sarcophagus Smash
Motion: Down, down + punch (ground or air)
Anakaris motions downward with his hand and a huge yellow sarcophagus falls from
the sky. LP makes it fall close, and HP makes it fall far away. I don't see
much use for this move other than forcing a block from the enemy. The motioning
arm is a HUGE giveaway to the moves initiation and the sarcophagus doesn't even
fall from the ceiling all that fast. At a far distance, use it to keep jumpers
on the ground (that is, if you want to. I'd rather let them jump in and then
launch them). At close range, use it to force the enemy to block and then
follow up with the Idle Hands.
THE MOVE! Anakaris opens up the wrappings on his face and a strange, black
gooey face emerges and spits out a puff of ?dust? at an angle downward. If the
dust hits the enemy then they turn into a tiny mummy-type thing. During this
time, the opponent cannot attack at all nor can they really move well. The
transformation lasts about 10 seconds. LP makes Anakaris shoot the puff close
and low, HP makes him shoot it long and far.
First of all, the damage on this move is negligible, but that really isn't the
point. If you connect, IMMEDIATELY go for a combo or a Super! Air comboing the
tiny mummy guy isn't too hard, and the opponent seems to take more damage while
transformed. On the other hand, using a super is often MUCH more effective
since the opponent cannot block while transformed. This move is basically your
window to all the nice damaging Supers that Anakaris possesses (let's face it,
hitting an uncursed opponent with them can be rather difficult).
There are a few drawbacks to this move. First of all Anakaris is pretty slow
when he does this so he opponent can generally avoid it rather easily (unless
they're sleeping or in the middle of doing something, hint hint hint). This
also means that Anakaris can be hit out of the move rather easily (especially by
damn Ryu-type beam supers!). If your going to pull off this move, make sure its
when the opponent is committed to something, or they are sleeping (jumping Ryu's
super fireball, cursing him and then using your own super generally adds a nice
amount of insult to injury).
Its also a good idea to mention that the Pharaoh's Curse is an overhead and MUST
be blocked high. = )
Pyramid Smash
Motion: Down or down forward + HK (air)
Anakaris stops in midair and immediately comes down at a 45 degree angle while
his legs take on the shape of a pyramid. Hugely useful move simply because of
Anakaris' mid-air stop (seemingly like Jin and Hayato strangely enough... hmm).
You can use it to evade fireballs (see strategies section) or also for pulling a
surprise attack on the enemy (Opponent's generally don't expect Anakaris to come
down so quickly because his jump is sooooooooo slow).
1.4 - Super Movelist
Anakaris easily has some of the most damaging super attacks in the game, but
using them properly is a matter of timing and precision. It's also a matter of
memorizing their motions (Anakaris has some strange super motions).
Sarcophagus Holocaust
Motion: Down, down + 2 Punches
Anakaris motions as he would for his Sarcophagus Smash but then a series of
Sarcophagi fall from the ceiling. This is easily one of the MOST DAMAGING
SUPERS in the whole game! I've seen the damage go up to 70%, rivaling Shuma
Gorath's Chaos Dimension! Unfortunately the super is actually almost useless.
Hitting an opponent is nearly impossible since the window of startup is so long
and Anakaris gives the move away so much. Even worse, in order to rack up the
70% damage the opponent has to be cornered, and about a sweep's distance away
from Anakaris. Boo. At least it's damaging, just not useful.
Pharaoh's Illusion
Motion: LP, LP, forward, LK, HP
I love this super so much because when an opponent sees it for the first time
they just go "WHAT IN THE H*LL"? Anakaris grows really large (remember
Apocolypse) so that all you can see is his massive head floating around in a
background of blue. His hands then appear and you get to JUGGLE YOUR OPPONENT!
LP makes his left hand swat, LK makes his right hand swat. HP makes his left
hand rise, HK makes his right hand rise.
This move has really good startup. No wait, let me rephrase that. This move
has AMAZING STARTUP. For such a confusing super, it starts of INSTANTLY!
Capitalize on its starting time and then pound the buttons in a circular motion
starting with whichever side you need to "swat" first (the side your opponent is
on). I've gotten up to 50% damage with this super and its beautiful. You can
use it to counter almost anything (if your fast, even missed beam supers). You
can't combo it though.
On a down note (and this is really minor), Anakaris' head is vulnerable during
the entire time so try to keep your opponent away from it at all times (its not
very hard).
Asp Rush
Motion: Backward, forward + 2 punches (air)
Anakaris jumps into his sarcophagus and then opens the door while a horde of
bandaged vipers rush out and then rush back in. Your punches control the upper
snakes, and your kicks control the lower ones. You are allowed to have 2 snakes
advancing at any time, and 2 snakes retreating.
In all respects, a very good super. The startup is quite nice and its not hard
to hit with (even on counters, I haven't really tried comboing it yet). For
maximum damage you should mash the buttons in a circular manner starting from
LP. I'm not sure about the air version, it doesn't seem to air combo (although
I might just be too slow.)
As for downsides, well. The snakes reach ALMOST all the way across the screen,
but if you whiff it from an entire screen length (you didn't, did you?) then
beam supers become a problem. Also, if you get super jumped you'll probably be
vulnerable for about a second by the time your opponent lands on your opposite
side.
Anakaris jumps a short height into the air, places his arm in a spell casting
position and fires a "dust ball". If the opponent gets hit they get flamed,
then iced, then electrified and finally a giant sarcophagus lands on their head.
For such an incessantly hard super to pull off in the heat of battle, it isn't
very useful. The damage is rather low (only bout 40% or so) and hitting with it
is a real pain in the but. The only good side is that you get to see that huge
sarcophagus....
Assists are Marvel vs Capcom 2's new feature. An assist temporarily brings in
one of your partners to perform one of their moves. I haven't used them
extensively so I'm not sure as to how useful the assists are... but here's
Anakaris' anyway.
Alpha: Standing HP
Beta: Long range Idle Hands
Gamma: Mid-range Sarcophagus Smash
The assist that you choose also determines which super that Anakaris will use
with his double / triple teams.
Alpha: Asp Rush
Beta: Asp Rush
Gamma: Asp Rush
(I'm not too sure about the supers since I don't use delayed team combos very
much.)
General Strategy
The name of the game with Anakaris is confusion. Since most of his moves have
odd hitting properties or angles, opponent's often have problems figuring out
which way to guard and that is the key to getting off the big hits. Despite the
fact that Anakaris isn't really a dialer character, he does have a normal aerial
rave combo (something I was really surprised about) which does a good amount of
damage and can surprise even the most experienced opponents...
Defensive
Anakaris can play the best either on absolute defense or absolute offense but
not well when trying to switch between the two intermittently. On defense, his
standing HP is a good keep away move which comes out fairly quickly with high
priority. Use the close range Idle Hands to keep an opponent worried about
getting too close due to the fact that it can't be blocked. It should be noted
that Anakaris has several useful methods of retreating. First is his jumping HK
which emerges from the GROUND! Due to the slow speed and the length of time it
remains out for, this is the perfect move to cover your backwards jumps. More
often than not the opponent will be a little too intimidated to try and jump
after you, nor can they dash under you. Watch for the recovery though, beam
supers can be a pain in the butt. Second is his retreating standing HK.
Although he doesn't actually move a great distance backwards, the move is useful
enough to warrant usage when making quick getaways. I should mention that
walking or normally jumping backwards is simply NOT AN OPTION. Anakaris'
walking speed is laughably slow as is his jumping speed. You can also use the
Sarcophagus Smash can be used to zone opponent's by keeping them away, but don't
abuse it... shotos learn fast.
Mid Range
Not the range of choice, mid range has but a few advantages in Anakaris' favor.
Once again, the standing HP snake bite is a good poke (albeit a little slow) and
you can utilize his quick acting crouching LK or MK to tag opponents who
misjudge Anakaris' large size for slow speed. When in doubt, use your advancing
HK to put yourself at close range.
Offensive
Anakaris can be a real pain at close range... for your opponent that is. With
some deceptively fast acting moves, Anakaris can play a major offensive game
that is both deadly and unexpected. First, use his dash and air dash often to
cover the distance and get in close. A great tactic against shotos is to air
dash a fireball, pyramid smash and then do an air combo. Often times, counter
missed moves with your crouching HP, you'll launch them 95% of the time due to
its high priority. Mainly your offense is made up of air combos, but when you
have the chance nail them with a standing HP or close Idle Hands. Often times
you can mix this up by jumping backwards. When the opponent sees that they
finally have an opportunity to strike, let loose with a Pharaoh's curse, you may
just catch them out of a Dragon punch (or derivative thereof). When the
opponent is transformed, feel free to let loose with an air combo or a super.
Speaking of, another great tactic is to pressure and then dash backwards. Often
times the opponent sees an opening so they'll dash forward to push an offense.
That's when you pull a Pharaoh's Illusion and juggle them for up to 50% damage!
Misc. Strategies
Movement
I cannot stress enough how badly beaten into the ground a walking or jumping
Anakaris will be. Anakris has plenty of good ways of getting around the screen,
you do not need to WALK OR JUMP! First of all, to move forward either super
jump, dash, air dash or use an advancing HK. For retreating, super jump, dash,
air dash or use a retreating HK. Simple right? Now when do you use what?
Well, in general, use your dashing or super jumping when your opponent is on the
other end of the screen. Its relatively safe and you can cancel them both with
a block. Use the air dash to cover quick distance when you don't want to be
grounded. A good example is you've just jumped Cable's Hyper Viper beam. Super
jump, air dash when the coast is clear, land on the opposite side and SUPER
(this isn't as easy to do as I made it sound). The retreating air dash is good
for getting away from a tight situation in a hurry. Anakaris' air dash is fast
enough that it can escape most enemies follow ups and attacks. Finally, only
use the Advancing or Retreating HK at close range. Whiffing the move isn't a
good idea.
1.7 - Facing Anakaris
Although facing Anakris isn't all that difficult (or common) against the
computer, it can be hell against a human player who knows what he/she's doing
(although that's not very common either). Seeing as I have never faced a single
Anakaris player in my life (that includes Vampire Savior) this is basically
theoretical strategy based on what I know about him.
Do's
- If you can, fight a mid range battle with him. Anakaris cannot perform a
version of the Idle Hands or Sarcophagus Smash at this distance.
- Try to get him to whiff his idle hands, it makes him rather vulnerable.
- Punish him for jumping or walking.
- Play a quick game of attack and retreat, Anakaris has a tough time dealing
with that.
- Take advantage of his slow speed by assaulting him, but watch out for his high
priority launcher.
- Keep a special watch for Anakaris' jumping kicks, they have a tendency to hit
you out of almost any kind of air move (sans supers).
Don'ts
- Ever underestimate Anakaris, he may be slow but he's got enough moves to kick
the crap out of some of the stronger characters.
- Sleep. If you stand there doing nothing it's a one-way ticket to getting
wrapped by the Idle Hands.
- Ever think that Anakaris can't play defensive or offensive, his strange moves
are misleading.
- Taunt him often, again he'll get you with the Idle Hands really often.
- Get hit by his supers, they're quite damaging.
1.8 - Combos
To tell you the truth... this is going to be a very short section... = )
Dash in LP -> Crouching LP -> Crouching HP -> Jump LP -> LK -> MP -> MK -> HP
- Anakaris basic magic series combo, it actually hits more times than anyone
expects.
LP -> LP -> LK -> HP
- Yeah your looking at it and wondering why I would stick something like this in
here. Well, let me tell you that for a short 4 hit combo this is ALL PURPOSE
and VERY DAMAGING
LK -> Crouching HP -> LK -> LK -> LP Idle Hands
- This isn't a true combo, but it works like a BEEOCH. Amazing pressure tactic,
opponent's usually block the combo and get thrown.
1.9 - Cool animations and Quotes
Opening animation
1.) A large yellow sarcophagus drops from the top of the screen and Anakaris
emerges.
2.) A large yellow sarcophagus is lying on the floor and Anakaris jumps out.
Standing Animation - Anakaris stands with his arms raised up. He walks like a
TRUE MUMMY (very slow).
Jumping Animation - Anakaris stretches his body out really, really loooooong.
Once he's airborne and falling, his bottom half disappears and all you can see
under his turban thing is a strange huge eye.
Flying animation - During his air dash, Anakaris squats down and rides his
turban thing like a little magic carpet. Totally hilarious.
Ending Animations -
1.) Anakaris stands facing the screen and vibrates while mumbling.
2.) Anakaris stands sideways and raises his arms in the air as if he is being
hailed by an invisible crowd.
Morrigan - For giving me the opportunity to actually survive a few seconds with
Anakaris on my first try and thus realizing how cool he is (and the fact that he
has such big combos for such a slow guy).
Gogetta 256 - For helping me relive the old days of Darkstalkers so I could get
all of his animations down.
Lemur-X - I took some of the move names and a combo or two from your FAQ.
Anyone out there who's willing to use original characters, not like those damn
SHOTOS!
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2.1 - Legal Stuff
Feel free to distribute this FAQ so long as MY NAME IS ATTACHED TO IT! Yes, we
do have a copyright thing here in Canada...
