Street Fighter 3—Third Strike
A Guide to Ibuki
easye
Version 1.5
Feb 2006
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
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Intro
Contact Info
C. Legend
D. Useful Normal and Command Moves
E. Throws
F. Special Moves
G. Super Arts
H. Strategy
I. Combos
J. Vs. Strategies
K. Miscellaneous
L. Revision History
M. Acknowledgements
N. Copyright
INTRO:
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This is my first FAQ, inspired by the absence of Third Strike Ibuki guides on
the net. This guide is intended to help you kick butt with Ibuki but is also
NOT intended to be a comprehensive FAQ on Ibuki or SF3 in general; it’s just my
tips on whipping Ibuki’s competition.
Yes, she was overpowered in the first two installments, but Capcom toned her
down so much that she's now bottom-tier. Make no mistake, even if you're
highly skilled, winning with Ibuki is a challenge. Fortunately, Ibuki is a fun
character to master, which requires practice, lots of it. After all, being a
Shinobi isn’t easy, but it sure is fun.
CONTACT INFO:
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Any questions/corrections/comments/awesome combos, e-mail me at easye1540
(at) yahoo (dot) com
LEGEND:
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JP jab
SP strong
FP fierce
SK short
FK forward
RK roundhouse
T towards
D down
B back
U up
P punch
K kick
USEFUL NORMAL and COMMAND MOVES:
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Here is a list of all command moves and some useful normal attacks.
Crouching SP--changed from 2nd Impact. Almost stands up and lunges far arm.
Comes out slow but has great priority and can combo into almost anything.
Unfortunately, cannot be combo-ed into.
B+SP simultaneously will cause Ibuki to punch upwards. Hits twice and thus
makes a good air counter for semi-skilled parryers. Combo-able into a sweep.
FP at a distance--Ibuki steps forward and lunges elbow into foe’s nether
regions. Press FP again to make Ibuki punch Bruce Lee style. Good stun damage
but slow start-up and mediocre recovery.
Crouching JP or SK--your typical crouching weak attacks; they combo into all of
Ibuki’s specials except the HIEN. They also poke well.
T+SK is a kick to the shins. Slightly better range than normal SK.
SP+FK--Ibuki’s universal overhead is probably one of the best because it’s
quick and has good range.
EVERYTHING FORWARD KICK:
Crouching FK--Ibuki throws out the heel of her nearer leg. Average speed and
priority, but good range. Use to poke.
FK--Ibuki does a knee that’s short on range, average on damage, high on
priority, and is the cornerstone of almost all her combos. This move combos
into all of her specials, minus the HIEN, plus her two ground supers. Hits
crouching opponents.
DT+FK makes Ibuki slide forward in her jumping FK stance. Good range but puny
damage and bad recovery time. Use sparsely for surprise value.
B+FK will make Ibuki kick forward with her leg parallel to the ground. Has
good range and speed but easily parry-able.
T+FK causes Ibuki to hop forward and do an overhead kick. Really good move
that leaves her invulnerable from most low attacks. Slight start-up lag but no
recovery time. Tends to get parried if overused.
Jumping FK--Good range and angle, extremely high priority. Can also use to
cross-up.
EVERYTHING ROUNDHOUSE:
Crouching RK--Excellent recovery time for a sweep. A standing RK immediately
afterwards will connect.
Standing RK, in close--Ibuki will kick straight up for 2 hits, launching her
foe for a juggle. Good damage. Useful against parry jump-ins. Also good
after parrying an anti-air move.
Standing RK--Ibuki leans back as she kicks at a 45-degree angle with good
priority. Good air counter against far jumps and non-parrying opponents.
T+RK--makes her hop slightly forward, doing a split kick in the air. Like the
T+FK, this move comes in handy in footsie games because Ibuki will avoid most
low attacks. For style points, you can evade fireballs with this move.
Jumping RK--good for super jumps, when your opponent is under you, or when
jumping straight-up. Not useful for jump-ins though.
THROWS:
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JP+SK--Ibuki does a simple over-the-shoulder throw. If you hold back while
doing this, Ibuki will switch sides with the opponent. Remember, throws are
part of the game. Everything in a fighting game must have a counter, including
blocking.
(in the air) JP+SK--Ibuki does a throw that shares the same animation as her
HIEN move. Use this against those who like to parry when jumping.
SPECIAL MOVES:
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Yes, Capcom calls these super moves, but they're just trying to trick you.
KUNAI (in air: D, DT, T, P): Ibuki throws a dagger. Strength of punch controls
direction of dagger, with JP going almost vertically downward and FP going at
about a 45 degree angle. Terrible priority--anything stronger than a sneeze
will deflect the dagger. If you throw this while jumping in, your opponent's
anti-air will likely deflect the dagger and hit Ibuki. Very weak--same damage
as a JP. Slow speed--the dagger defies the force of gravity. I use this move
only when jumping back to avoid pursuit by my opponent. You want to throw the
dagger as late as possible so that Ibuki can safely land while your opponent is
busy blocking/parrying/punching the dagger.
EX--throws two daggers that are much faster than the regular ones but share the
same priority; each one’s direction is determined by the punch buttons you
pressed (i.e., if you pressed JP and FP, one dagger follows the JP direction
and the other the FP direction).
KUBI ORI (B, DB, D, DT, T, P): Ibuki slides forward, climbs atop her opponent,
and breaks his or her neck. Strength of punch determines how far Ibuki slides,
with the stronger buttons going further across the screen. Does decent damage
and good stun and must be blocked low. It is quick, but the recovery time is
terrible if blocked, and you will get super clobbered. Mostly useful to punish
mistakes from halfway across the screen. You can also go under most fireballs
with this, but you will need to slide before the fireball comes within sweep
range or else Ibuki will not be low enough and get hit. If you’re getting
pummeled in the corner, use this move to dash under them when they jump. Can
also combo.
EX--comes out very fast and reduces the recovery time. Ibuki cracks opponent’s
neck 3 times, but not for 3x the damage. Great stun.
TSUKIJI GOE (T, D, DT, P): she simply somersaults over foe (if near). Strength
of punch controls how far Ibuki jumps, with the stronger buttons resulting in
longer leaps. After peak of jump, Ibuki can throw the dagger or dagger super,
limiting the use of this move. Good as an anti-wake-up move or after a combo
to confuse your opponent.
RAIDA (T, DT, D, DB, B, P): she grabs foe and blasts them to the other side of
the screen with a glowing blue fist (you can see her hand smoking afterwards).
Neutered since 2nd Impact, it no longer has start-up invincibility or deals
insane damage. Strength of punch determines how far Ibuki slides before
grabbing, but it is very short-range and very slow. Almost no recovery time if
blocked and cannot be parried. Good stun, but not recommended for combos
because the TSUMUJI is better.
KYUU KAGE (D, DT, T, K): Ibuki dashes forward (...it at least looks cool).
Length of dash depends on strength of kick, with the stronger kicks traveling
further. Ibuki takes extra damage while dashing, and the recovery time is
pathetic.
TSUMUJI (D, DB, B, K): she releases her B+FK 2 or 3 times. Here’s the lowdown:
SK gets 2 kicks, quick recovery time. RK gets 3 kicks, long recovery time. FK
(always use this one) gets 2 kicks, but you can get an extra hit by pressing FK
again. Recovery times for FK follow the SK and RK ones, depending on how many
hits you attempted. Press down on the last kick of either a 2- or 3-hitter to
end the move with a sweep. Sweep has the same recovery time as a 3-hit, but
does not combo.
EX--Ibuki kicks four times with excellent recovery time. Probably Ibuki’s most
powerful EX move (if all 4 hits connect) and good block damage. Furthermore,
Ibuki can make any hit after the first one EITHER a normal kick or a sweep,
making this move a parryer’s nightmare.
KAZEKIRI (T, D, DT, K): basically a dragon kick. SK and FK both hit 3 times
while RK totals 4 hits. A good air counter, especially against those that like
to parry when jumping in or those super-jumping in.
EX--a more damaging version. Not quite sure how many times it hits though.
Ibuki is also able to attack after peak of kick. See combo section for more.
HIEN (B, D, DB, K): jumps toward foe, smacks ‘em twice with her feet, then
leaps back, able to throw a dagger or dagger super. Must be blocked high, and
the height and length of Ibuki’s jump depend on the strength of the kick, with
the stronger buttons going higher and further across the screen. Does decent
damage and can be comboed into the KASUMI. The SK one is useful during footsie
games while the RK version is good anti-fireball.
EX—-faster, slighly more damaging version.
SUPER ARTS:
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I KASUMI SUZAKU (in air: D, DT, T, D, DT, T, P): Ibuki showers opponent with 20
daggers (that cannot be deflected). Keep pressing punch to make her throw all
20 daggers. JP comes out at about a 15 degree angle, SP is about a 30 degree
angle, and FP launches at a 45 degree angle. Slow start-up but good block
damage (and good regular damage). Nearly against turtles. Short super bar and
can be stored up to 3 times; so if you’re EX-happy, this is the super for you.
One funny thing about this super is the recovery time--you will recover slower
if you connect, regardless of how many daggers you throw, leaving Ibuki more
open than had the opponent blocked the KASUMI (the hit stun animation is
shorter than the block stun animation).
II YOROI DOUSHI (D, DT, T, D, DT, T, P): this super comes in two flavors. If
done right next to the opponent, Ibuki does a pumped-up version of RAIDA. This
version does excellent damage and is UNBLOCKABLE. However, you cannot combo
this version. If done at a distance or in a combo, Ibuki fires a huge, red,
immobile fireball that hits about 13 times, is BLOCKABLE, and does laughable
damage. Obviously, you will want to use only the first version. The first
version, however, is like a Hyper Bomb or Gigas Breaker with bad range--it's
slow on the start-up, meaning your opponent can jump away before the grab
connects.
III YAMI SHIGURE (D, DT, T, D, DT, T, P): she throws 3 daggers at her
opponent’s feet. If the daggers connect, Ibuki will dash across the screen 5
times, slicing her foe. YAMI must be blocked low, and the strength of the
punch determines how far Ibuki throws the daggers, with JP thrown right next to
her, FP at about 70% screen’s length, and SP somewhere in between. The super
bar is rather short, yet this super can be stored only once. As you would
expect from the short bar, this super isn’t great in the damage department.
However, it’s absurdly FAST. Plus, check out your opponent’s stun meter after
this move. It also passes through fireballs. The daggers cannot be negated by
a fireball; and, if they connect, Ibuki passes thru the oncoming fireball,
unscathed (this applies to super fireballs as well, plus Gill’s Meteor
Shower!). Almost any blocked sweep can be countered with this move. Possible
exceptions include Yun, Yang, Ibuki, and Gill. This super is also combo-able
off a crouching SP or regular FK. Finally, a neat strategy with the YAMI:
(after a HIEN) throw a dagger. When they block or parry it (or get hit by it),
do the YAMI as soon as you land. While they’re busy parrying or blocking high,
the YAMI hits their feet.
STRATEGY
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The first thing you’ll probably notice (or noticed) about our ninja student
is that she is WEAK. You’ve just pulled off two 5-hit combos and are
comfortably in the lead...BAM...Ryu just walloped your scrawny Shinobi ass with
a simple 3-hit combo, and now you’re the underdog. Playing with Ibuki means
ALWAYS staying on your toes. Even if your foe has no life left and you have
half of yours, stay on top of the game. NEVER let your guard down.
On the other hand, Ibuki is FAST, second only to Yun and Yang. Many of her
moves can travel almost a screen’s length in about a second, setting up for an
aggressive, hit-and-run type fighting style. Ibuki also has more special moves
than anyone else in the game, making her one of the most unpredictable and
versatile characters in the game. Mastering Ibuki means mastering these 2
things: variety and combos.
Ibuki’s greatest strength is the ability to MIX IT UP (block high/block low
attacks), and her footsie game is among the best. Many opponents tend to block
low against her, wary of the KUBI ORI, so make sure to use your overheads
frequently. Here is a list of good footsie moves, with overheads marked by a
star.
DT+FK
T+FK*
T+RK
SP+FK*
TSUMUJI
SK HIEN*
Mastering parrying also greatly improves Ibuki’s hit-and-run style (especially
when jumping in) works wonders for her offense.
Many of Ibuki's moves, such as her jab, strong punch, and even her taunt, do an
inordinate amount of stun. Some combos do decent damage but deal excellent
stun. Keep an eye on your opponent's stun gauge to see if you should use one
of these combos instead of primarily damage-dealing one. See combo section for
more.
Not only will Ibuki’s normal dash leave that cool shadow behind, but she also
dashes THROUGH people (whereas all others stop in front of their opponent).
Think of it as the roll from KOF, but without the invulnerability. Great to
confuse and to escape corner traps.
Ibuki’s regular jump is angled lower and travels farther than normal jumps to
give her better opportunities for throwing her dagger. You should master her
jump first because Ibuki jumps more than any other character (I’m not saying to
jump indiscriminately here). Jump within the zone to keep Ibuki out of harm’s
way.
COMBOS
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Ibuki doesn’t have a bread and butter because she simply has too many combos.
The following are the combos I use most often (and not a comprehensive list).
Sure the following are simple, but they’re effective and landing the flashy, 12
hit combos is impossible in serious competition. Ibuki has many more combos
than these. The important thing is to experiment; heck, I discover a new combo
with Ibuki almost every week, having played her since NG!
JP, SP, FP
You must be in real close to pull off this chain. Ibuki’s FP changes to some
weird chop to the face. You can also substitute a JP RAIDA for the FP. You
can follow up this chain with almost any special or ground super.
Crouching RK, Standing RK, FK
Again, you must be in real close for all 4 hits to connect. Some people like
to use another standing RK after the first one, but it doesn’t hit nearly as
often as the FK. You can also replace FK with a KAZEKIRI. Whatever the last
hit, timing it is critical. (They all do about the same damage, and I find FK
to be the easiest to link.)
SK, FK, RK
Simple kick chain combo. However, because FK combos into anything and RK
misses crouching opponents, substitute a special or ground super for RK. See
jumping in deep combo for more possibilities.
T+FK, Crouching JP, RAIDA
A good mix-up combo. If they block, use a SK HIEN instead of RAIDA. Or,
TSUMUJI to push ‘em away. You can also combo the YAMI off the T+FK.
Close FP, Crouching RK, Standing RK (4 hits)
Note that if you press RK too early, Ibuki will cancel the second hit of the FP
and sweep. Decent damage but excellent stun.
Jumping in FK, JP, SP
Since you’ll be attacking mostly with FK in the air, you can usually peg these
2 punches afterwards, even if the FK was an early hit. You can link a YAMI
after the SP for a 40% stun combo (the damage isn't bad either). You can also
do a B+SP instead of a SP and then either sweep (and into a standing RK) or
cancel the second hit of the SP into a special.
Jumping in deep FP, FK, RK
Ibuki’s best combo. The variations of this combo are endless because, again,
FK basically combos into almost all of Ibuki’s moves. At the height of an EX
KAZEKIRI you can cancel into a KASUMI SUZAKU. You can stick a SK before the FK
as well, but it diminishes the damage of later hits.
HIEN, KASUMI
The HIEN is cancelled in this combo, limiting the damage of the KASUMI. Also,
your opponent, especially if you’re near and facing towards the corner, may be
able to hit Ibuki as she lands due to the screwy recovery time of the KASUMI.
VS STRATEGIES
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Apply these to both computer and human opponents. When fighting the computer,
I suggest super arts 1 or 3 because the AI has trouble blocking/countering
these.
AKUMA: The only opponent that has less stamina than Ibuki. He also has the
shortest stun meter, so try to exploit that. Air-fireball crazy Akumas are
easy to deal with--just use Ibuki's speed to move under him, throw or combo him
when he lands.
ALEX/HUGO: Ugh. One of Ibuki’s tougher fights. Avoid close-up encounters too
often and completely if they have the HYPER BOMB/GIGAS BREAKER ready to go, or
you could be spanked into the next round. You can try faking a combo then
jumping after 1 or 2 hits to trick them into wasting their grab supers. Fight
at a distance using daggers, TSUMUJI, and HIEN and stick to quick hit-and-runs.
Punish whiffs (which the computer does a lot with these two) with EX KUBI ORIs.
CHUN-LI: Most people play her as hit-and-run or turtle, so change strategies
accordingly. She’ll probably be charging down a lot, so use your overheads.
Unfortunately, she has a better footsie game than you.
DUDLEY: This guy can out-prioritize you up close, so be on the defensive. His
wake-ups are deadly, but Dudley has somewhat long recovery times, so he is easy
to punish. Sweep, standing RK combo or YAMI after a blocked machine gun punch
and RAIDA or EX KUBI ORI (or super) if he “whiffs” with a cross counter.
ELENA: She is one of the few people who can match Ibuki’s speed and pokes.
Brave Dance is fast and painful.
KEN/RYU: Watch for fireballs and sweeps. If you counter these, you're halfway
to beating the majority of Shoto players. Good players will make few errors,
though, so try to bait them into these or a dragon punch.
MAKOTO: This is a tough fight (complete with special intro) because Makoto can
mess up regular hit-and-run tactics with her dash punch. Be wary of her
post-dash punch game, including the grab and choke and supers.
NECRO: Susceptible to footsie games and cross-ups. Don't underestimate him.
ORO: Having trouble with his double jump? Jump back and throw a dagger or a
FK. Don't forget about his EX-able supers. In case of the Tengu Stone super,
run away. You’re much faster and can slide under his jumps. Note: Oro is
Ibuki’s second to last boss. The computer will play Oro defensively to the
point of frustration. Throw often.
Q: Stay on top of him from the start. Try not to let him get any taunts in,
and have an EX KUBI ORI or YAMI handy for when he does taunt from afar.
Counter any jump-in attempts with a parry, then launch with RK.
REMY: Watch out for his light of virtue-->cold blue kick pressure tactics.
Counter by not parrying but instead jumping up and throwing a dagger (or
KASUMI) as he arrives with the cold blue kick. Your jumping FK can sometimes
trade against his flash kick. Avoid the corners.
SEAN: Haven't really played against human Seans, but the computer falls into a
predictable pattern with him.
TWELVE: Same as Sean, haven't really played against human 12's. The computer
likes to taunt often; punish.
URIEN: Urien likes to crouch to set up his launcher and knee drops, so mix-ups
work well. His fireballs have some lag time, making it easier to hit him with
KASUMI or YAMI. Just watch out for the ones coming up to greet you.
YUN/YANG: What pains in the ass. A round will take FOREVER because it’s
basically a poking/chipping fight if neither player is dominant. Dealing with
Yun and Yang can be difficult because they’re the only ones speedier than you
are. Yuns and Yangs tend to be parry-crazy and love their long super meter
supers.
IBUKI: Beware KUBI ORI freaks. This can be an annoying fight, like the
Yun/Yang battle. Try to look for patterns.
GILL: Super strength and speed, topped off with Resurrection. His BLOCKED
Angel super takes off 20%. Anyway, stay on the defensive for once, or you’ll
get owned. If he knee drops (and he telegraphs that move from a mile away),
run to just behind where he’ll land and then throw him. Constantly throw
daggers at his feet and abuse HIEN (he rarely retaliates but sometimes he does
meteor shower, which equals end of round). KASUMI is by far the best super,
especially to stop Resurrection (or you can try letting time expire). YAMI, a
distant second, will work when he’s at a distance throwing moves or fireballs
out like an idiot, or to counter Meteor Shower if you’re quick enough. Good
luck landing YOROI.
MISCELLANEOUS
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COLORS:
JP the usual beige; semi-camouflages Ibuki on her stage
SP marine green
FP ghoulish gray
SK faded purple
FK kick ass red
RK deathly black
JP+FK+FP mustard
TAUNT:
Ibuki hops forward and leapfrogs the opponent. If you look closely, you can
see Ibuki take off her mask, smile, and wave at you before she lands. It is
the ultimate “personal action,” because you have to hit the opponent to do it.
If you're unsuccessful, then you've given your opponent a free super. If Ibuki
connects, however, her next hit or combo will do 1.5x normal damage. This
bonus will be cancelled once you finish hitting or comboing your opponent, or
if you get before you even have a chance to. You can taunt as many times as
you wish.
WINNING POSES:
Jeez, I don’t think any character in any fighting game has as many winning
poses as Ibuki has.
-Turns back, raises hand above head, and turns head to look at you.
-Same one as above, except she disappears shortly afterwards.
-Closes her eyes and brings hands together a la Liu Kang, appearing to meditate.
-Cuts through her upper garment with her KUNAI, revealing her face and a sports
bra (a la Women’s World Cup). She says something, smiles, and briefly turns
her eyes towards the opponent then back to the camera.
-Punches air Shotokan style, while her non-punching fist glows blue, like in
RAIDA.
-Disappears in puff of smoke and reappears in street clothes, hand on head or
whistling.
-Same as above but she’s whistling, and _ugh_ her boyfriend’s behind her.
-Disappears, and a squad of raccoons runs across the screen. I think Ibuki is
supposed to be the one with a colored ribbon around its tail, or that could be
her pet from the original SF 3.
-Removes her mask, and stares in wonder in the direction of her fallen foe.
WINNING COMMENTS:
“What a crazy graduation exam! Being a Shinobi isn’t easy...”
“I can’t let anyone know that I wasted my time on a loser like you.”
“Hey, I’ll tell everyone you put up a good fight, OK?”
“Please don’t look! I need to change outfits and I’m outta bombs!”
“That wasn’t the most efficient way to knock you out, but it worked!”
“I’m sorry that went so quick, but a girl’s gotta have fun, too, you know!”
ENDING:
I don’t remember too much about it, but basically she graduates from Shinobi
High and then heads off to college. She continues to study ninjitsu with the
help of her "friend" but all she wants is to lead a normal life.
REVISION HISTORY
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1.1 Added table of contents; changed grades and added minor comments on some
normal, special, and super moves; Added some to the strategy section and one
simple and one flashy combo and corrected another; put Vs. strategies in
alphabetical order; corrected info on her taunt; remembered some more winning
poses; edited for grammar.
1.2 Mostly made some tweaks throughout the guide, reevaluating moves and
making additional comments. Added a combo that I forgot to add last time (HIEN
into KASUMI).
1.3 Made some final tweaking.
1.4 I decided to update the guide one last time to correct some move info and
strategies that only worked in 2nd Impact and not 3rd Strike, plus I just heard
it’s being released for the Dreamcast. If the Capcom deities would only be so
kind to release it for the PS2, so that I can slack off even more at school.
1.5 As my first FAQ, it was painful to read, so I cleaned it up. Also changed
email format to stop spam.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
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I got info on Ibuki’s personal action and checked the Japanese spelling of
Ibuki’s moves against Kao Megura’s excellent Street Fighter 3: Third Strike FAQ.
Thanks to Karixxa (
[email protected]) for info on the taunt being blockable.
Thanks to Zensar (
[email protected]) for info on being able to aim the KASUMI.
Thanks to Fun Arcade in N’Awlins for carrying the game, whereas in Boston 2nd
Impact is still a novelty. OK, so the MIT arcade has 3S, but I’m too lazy to
trek over there.
Thanks to Romes for providing the only challenge (in N’Awlins) to my Ibuki with
his damn Makoto.
COPYRIGHT:
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This guide is copyrighted (1999). If you copy the guide, please do not change
anything.
