King of Fighters 99

King of Fighters 99
Striker FAQ
January 19, 2000
by: Patrick Hwang
email: [email protected]

Table of Contents
-History
-Striker System
-Ratings Guide
-Striker Rankings
-Mook Rankings
-Credits
-End

History

3.00 Well i finally got some time to update. Whole Faq will be
reformatted. The game has been out for over 5 months now, it may seem like the
guide is obsolete. Maybe it is. So this may just be the last update. Take a
look, many changes in place.

2.03 Finally had time to update. Seen most of the strikers and now im
going to rate them and give my opinions on them. More detailed descriptions of
the strikers too.

1.02 Played some more, saw some more. ill be adding opinions and ratings
soon too.

1.01 well i havent updated even tho i know some more. well now i have the
time. ill probably go play this weekend...and get beaten down hehehe. hey no
FAQs for kof99, comon guys i need it so i stand a chance j/k okay well thanx for
those people (or person) that sent me emails on strikers. i still have a
question? do stikers so different things in different situations? i swear i saw
Terry do his high-angle geyers DM instead of the power gayser... hmm...maybe im
seeing things.

1.00: just played Kof99 today. Gave a general rundown and opinion on the
striker system. Listed the moves that the striker performs for the very few
characters that I know. Complete version will be out as soon as i see them all.

Striker System

Time for another King of Fighters tournament. This year, instead of the
usual 3 person teams, 4 people are selected. This time, the fouth guy is
designated as the "striker." To summon your striker, press B and C and the same
time, your striker will come out. You start out with 3 uses of the striker and
gain one more every time your character is KOed. That means, at max, you can
get 5 strikers on your last character. When you summon each striker you get a
split second of invincibility, use this to your advantage. Each striker has
different properties and i will try to elaborate on these in my FAQ.

Ratings:
*: poor striker, has little or no use
**: decent striker, has its uses, but very limited
***: average striker, good but not great
****: very good striker, one to consider using
*****: excellent striker

* Obviously the striker ratings are a reflection of my opinion. so what you may
consider awesome may not be in my book. Of course, I am basing my rankings from
my observations and experince. At the end of the guide i will post the rankings
given by the Geibun Mooks No. 226 The King of Fighters 99 Perfect Manual.

Striker Rankings

-Japan Team

K'
Ranking: **
K' will do one of two things depending on your opponents position. If your
opponent is close, he will jump in with a flying kcik and do a slide attack that
looks like his teleport move. If the opponent is close enough the jump kick and
slide will score a two hit combo. If the opponent is farther, or in the air, I
believe, K' will do his jump kick and then his flaming uppercut. I think it
deserves a one star only, but i supposse it has its uses. Overall a poor
striker because there really is not much you can do with him.

Maxima
Ranking: **
Maxima flys in about where your oppoennt is and attempts to grab you. If he
hits, he will hold you up for a limited time. NOTE: Maxima does no damage and
the opponent is considered in the air while being held by Maxima. It's success
rate isn't too great and thus it gets a low ranking. I can see this striker
coming a mile away

Benimaru
Ranking: **
Much like his teammate Maxima, Benimaru jumps to your opponent and performs his
Elec-Trigger DM. While he is shocking the opponent you get a free open shot to
combo, DM or whatever you will. NOTE: unlike Maxima, Beni grounds your
opponent. Another mediocre striker.

Shingo
Ranking: ***
I like this striker. Shingo runs in, head first, then tries to grab onto your
legs. If successful, he holds on allowing a freebie hit. This striker has a
delayed timing move. Its hard to explain this but you can use this to your
advantage. This means when you summon Shingo, he will not come out immediately.
This is best used if you can get your opponent in the middle of his move. For
example, Kyo just hit you with a standing C at the same time you summoned the
striker, as Kyo is recovering from the move, Shingo will run out and grab Kyo.
I like to "run" into moves, that is the only way i can get shingo to work.
Experiment with yourself to see how good he is. Thats the way i use him because
he isn't a great striker, you can see him coming far away. NOTE: The initial
attack by Shingo will do damage, I have killed someone with block damage :)

-Fatal Fury Team

Terry Bogard
Ranking: *****
Terry is an above average striker IMO. He does one of two things and he is the
anti-air and anti-jump in striker. If your opponent is close, he well perform
the High angle gayser DM, this version is so-so. The other version comes out if
your opponent is further away or jumping in. Terry comes in and performs the
Power Gayser DM. This is quite fast and you can tack on a free juggle while
they are in the air. There are some combos with the Terry Striker, im not going
to elaborate on these, if you want striker combos please refer to Gunsmith's FAQ
also located at http://wwww.gamefaqs.com

Andy Bogard
Ranking: *** 1/2
I dont like giving partial stars but this one seems to fit the category. He
isnt a 4 star striker but hes better than 3. Andy charges in with his Zan Ei
Ken move. It doesnt go full screen but it is very quick to come out. Again, you
get a free juggle hit. I'd use him but there are better strikers out there...

Joe Higashi
Ranking: *
Joe, Joe, Joe. I really think is one sucks. Anyway, he will come in with this
TNT punches, RB style. If it connects he will continue to punch and then
perform the uppercut finish. Why is this striker bad? 1. It has horrible
range. 2. If your opponent does get hit by the punches, it is not guarnteed
that he will be hit by all. Many a times the opponent will be hit out out if.
On the flip side, if the opponent is hit, you can cross up and hit him from the
back essentially hitting him into Joe. Again, very limited = very poor

Mai Shiranui
Ranking: **
The bouncy ninja will come in FAST and perform her Real Bout DM (sorry no name,
the one where she goes straight up). Your opponent must be close and grounded.
If your opponent is not within range, then she will just out and taunt only. If
your opponent is in the air, Mai will hit only once and that's it. This striker
best utilizes the instant invincibility when you summon her. Time it so that
you avoid the opponents attack and she will come in and hit your opponent. If
your opponent is hit, she will continue to hit him up into the air. While the
opponent is traveling upwards, you can hit him for additional hits. You cannont
however after Mai finishes hitting your opponent and he is traveling back down.

-Art of Fighting Team

Ryo
Ranking: ****
Ryo is a good striker. He will jump in and throw an air fireball that travels @
a 45 degree angle. The angle at which the fireball travels makes it hard for
the opponent to avoid this move. I can't tell you how many times i've seen
people hit by the fireball when they try to jump over it. You can combo with
this move and it can also hit downed opponents. Ralf can utilize this. Again
refer to Gunsmith's FAQ.

Robert
Ranking: ***
Robert is another delayed striker. Robert will jump in and perform his Dance of
Mayhem DM (the one where he combos like crazy). It's slow and it doesnt travel
the whole screen. But it is powerful, the opponent is hit by it, then he is
left open for anything. You can hit the opponent while he is being beat down by
Robert or you can wait to juggle him after Robert has hit him up with his "blade
kick" move and the end of the combo. Just make sure you dont push the opponent
out of Robert's "combo," trust me, i've done that.

Yuri
Ranking: *****
Okay im going to give Yuri 5 starts b/c she is pretty awesome. Everyone here is
playing with Yuri, truthfully im getting tired of her. Yuri jumps in and
performs three Yuri Super Uppers, three uppercuts in other words. She's fast
and thus best utilizes the split second invincibility. If not in range, Yuri
will just taunt and raise your super bar. Otherwise she will juggle you with
her move. Why 5 starts? Because you get to do anything you want with the
opponent and you get a lot of time to do it! The juggling takes a while so you
can plan your next attack. BTW, i believe most DM's can connect after this
striker!

Takuma
Ranking: *
Takuma comes in with his Mr. Karate mask on and performs a giant Haoh Sho Koh
Ken. That's all he does. I have yet to see what else you can do with him

-Ikari Team

Ralf
Ranking: ***
Ralf flys in with his angled bombing punch, charges, and performs his Galactica
Phantom DM. The bombing punch is fast so you can use the invincibility to get
some breathing room from your opponent. His Galactica Phantom CAN be blocked,
and if hit will send the opponent spinning high in the air for a free juggle.
NOTE: while the oppoennt is coming down, you can hit him and he will instantly
become grounded. Its hard to describe you have to see it for yourself. Ill
explain. I hit the opponent with the Galactica Phantom and while opponent was
flying back down upside down, i performed Clark's close C buffered into the
Backbreaker. Now if a reg opponent was in the air, he will be hit once and fall
down. Well, when i hit the flying opponent, he instantly appeared right side up
and grounded. The C hit twice and grabbed the opponent. Again, hard to
visualize, you have to do it yourself.

Clark
Ranking: ****
Personally i dont think this striker is that great, and i'd rather be using
Clark than for a striker. Anyway he is fairly good. He will fly in with a
jumping CD kick and grab the opponent. If successful, he will turnaround and
throw the opponent upwards and into the corner, again for a freebie hit. If the
opponent is in the right distance, the kick and grab will combo. BTW, the jump
kick is very fast.

Leona
Ranking: *****
Awesome striker nuff said. Leona runs in and plants a bomb on your opponent.
If the opponent gets hit, the bombo goes off, launching him into the air for a
free juggle. If the opponent blocks, Leona will continue to run forward,
somewhat keeping your opponent there, allowing you a chance to cross up. THe
beauty of this striker? you can "catch" your opponent. If you opponent jumps in
with an attack, summon Leona, You will be hit by the attack but Leona will no
become unblockable and hit the opponent, the opponent will be bombed and juggled
upwards, and you know the drill. Very good and very annoying. There are some
other strikers that can do this too but Leona is by far the best. Three uses =
5 stars

Whip
Ranking: *
Whip striker is pretty poor. If the opponent is close she will jump in and
perform the boomerang move. Unfortunately it will only hit for the first part
so your opponent will only be hit away. If your opponent is farther, she will
come out and whip like crazy a la her Forward + A command move, covers great
range but thats all, cant combo. Boo hoo what a poor striker

-Psycho Soldier Team

Athena
Ranking: ***
Athena jumps in and after a split second performs her Shining Craystal Bit SDM
and gives you back a sliver of live. While she activates the SDM, she will
knock the opponent back. Best used for turtling. I've seen people save all of
her for the last guy and just turtle and use her to gain life back....eh very
boring. The striker is too passive for me to like.

Sie Kensou
Ranking: *
Sie will jump in with his air move which can hit the oppoennt back. Then he
will eat his meat bao and give you back some life. Um...i haven't figured out
the exact properties of this striker because sometimes he will give life and
sometimes not. He really is useless, if you want to get life back, use Athena.
He is waaay to cheap to be using him as a striker. Easy infinite anyone?

Chin
Ranking: **
I'd like to think of Chin like a time bomb. He will come out and sit there. If
your opponent is close he will perform his DP move. If your opponent is far he
will just sit there, after a while, he will perform the DP move. I have to say
his striker isn't all that great but it annoys me greatly. again another so-so
striker.

Bao
Ranking: ***
Bao runs in with a head butt, charges up, and throws a large psycho ball.
Better than Takuma's IMO because if the fireball hits, it will launch the
opponent high into the air for a free juggle a la Ralf striker

-Girlz Team

King
Ranking: ****
Good striker, King slide kicks in and then her Silent Slash DM. Upon finishing
you can juggle. Or you can actually keep hitting the oppoent while King is doing
the striker because apparently it will not push the opponent out. Interesting.
Again check out Gunsmith's FAQ for some monster combos. Only problem with this
stiker is that is has little range and is slow in coming out.

Blue Mary
Ranking: **
Mary will slide in and then perform her M. Spider move. Another so-so move
because it is so slow. I've seen the slide hit and the second part, the spider
miss so its not guaranteed. Truthfully i'd rather be using her.

Kasumi Todo
Ranking: ****
Kasumi will jump in with a flying kick, and taunt the opponent. The taunt will
lower the opponents super bar. If the opponent is hit by her finger(?!) or hits
her, kasumi will counter and throw the opponent into the corner. If close
enough, the flying kick and counter throw will combo. Little range but a very
good striker overall. It can do three(!) things, very unappreciated striker.

Xiang Fei
Ranking: *
This striker should actually get a half-star. It's really that bad. Comes in
and taunts. That's it!?!? It does however lower the super bar significantly,
about 1 stock plus. But still, if you want that, you'd be better off using
Kasumi. Deserves the most useless striker award, keep away.

-Korea Team

Kim
Ranking: **** 3/4
Great striker overall. Fast, comes in at a 45 degree angle. Kim will jump in
and perform the angled flying kick. If hit, he'll kick you twice, second hit
will launch opponent into the ari, for yep, a freebie juggle. I like this
because it "covers" the air. Lets say if someone is right over you. Leona or
Terry striker will most likely not be albe to hit the opponent. But kim on the
other hand can because he comes down. Just an ovservation. NOTE: Kim will
launch you stright up and not forewards like most strikers. Just so you can
plan ahead...

Chang
Ranking ****
Chang literally drops in on you! He will fly in with that belly bomb DM. If he
hit you he will then land on you for two hits. But, if he misses, he will
bounce on the ground. Watch out! because that second bounce he can still hit
you with his head(!) Pretty good striker, i always see my opponents run away
from him when i summon him. hahalol

Choi
Ranking: *** 1/2
Choi will jump in and do his upwards tornado move. This move will catch your
opponent and do MASSIVE damage to the opponent AND allow you to juggle. Watch
out though, like the move, it will not always catch 100% and your opponent maybe
knocked away. If you can trap your opponent in the corner and sandwich him the
choi will get the full hits in. Trust me this is huge damage, just kick back
and laugh. Too bad the range is poor on this. If however, the opponent is not
near choi, he will just taunt and do his little ballerina dance. BUT, unlike
other strikers that taunt, if you are able to hit or "push" your opponent into
choi, he will then do the move. heheh :) Good but not great

Juhn
Ranking: ***
I love this guy. The striker, however, is not so great. Like others, he can do
one of two things. If close he will do the D, U + A spining kick move that Kim
used to have. If far Juhn will perform his jumping kick (d, d + B mode, then up
+ C) Not too fond of using him as a striker.

-Edit Characters

Kyo-1, Kyo-2
Ranking: **
Both clones have the same striker. They will come in with the R.E.D. Kick. If
opponent is hit, Kyo Klone will then taunt. If blocked or missed, then they
will do the double kick move. (qcf +B, B) I CANNOT seem to have it juggle
after it. Pretty useless overall. But then again, they are clones.

-Hidden Characters

Kyo Kusanagi
Ranking: **** 1/2
Shin Kyo, as i would like to call him. Overall a good striker. He will come in
and perform his Serpent Wave SDM. It will hit the opponent for multiple hits if
connected and you can also cross them up. Can't really see anything wrong with
this striker.

Iori Yagami
Ranking: *****
Iori will come in and throw a quick purple fireball. If the opponent is hit, he
will be stunned or "frozen" for a split second. If not, a purple puddle is
formed. If the opponent is hit by the puddle, then he is stunned. If the
opponent lands in the puddle, he will be juggled. "Five stars? I can't get this
striker to work!" you say. Well its an "expert" striker. The fireball itself
is pretty useless. But if you can somehow get the opponent to land into the
puddle (i.e summon when coming down) thats where the beauty is. By landing into
the puddle, the opponent will be juggled about 4 times, each time doing some
damage and allowing you, the player a chance to get free juggle hits in. Once
someone used Iori. Upon summoning him and throwing the fireball, i jumped
backwards into the corner and "accidently" landed into the fireball. It turned
into a puddle and since i was low on life it juggled me to death while the other
guy stood there and watched. Takes some practice and timing to get down.
Again, check out Gunsmith's FAQ for some crazy combos for this striker.

Mook Rankings

Geibun Mooks No. 226 The King of Fighters '99 Perfect Manual

This is the numerical rankings given my the mook. 10 being the best, 1 the
worst. I will list them from best to worst.

Highest
=============
-Clark 9
-Kim 9
-Shingo 7
-Kasumi 7
-Terry 7
-Chang 7
-Yuri 7
-Ralf 7
-(Shin) Kyo 7

Excellent
=============
-Leona 6
-Blue Mary 6
-Maxima 6
-Robert 6
-Athena 6

Average
=============
-Bao 5
-Benimaru 5
-Andy 5
-Joe 5
-Mai 5
-Ryo 5
-King 5
-Takuma 5

Lowest
=============
-Whip 4
-Chin 4
-Sie 4
-Juhn 4
-Kyo-1 4
-Kyo-2 4
-Iori 4
-Choi 3
-K' 3
-Xiang Fei 2

Credits

-GAMEFAQS
http://www.gamefaqs.com
Thanks for putting up my Faqs

-UCLA's X-cape
KOF for 25 cents and the best maintained controllers

-Japan Arcade
For getting KOF99 on the second day after it was released

-Cedric Tan
Various info on strikers

-Peter Kim
Always an excellent source of information

[email protected]
Again for feeback and tidbits

-Geibun Mooks No. 226 The King of Fighters 99 Perfect Manual

-Gamest Mook Vol. 195 The King of FIghters 99 Graphical Manual

-Everyone for reading my Faqs

-And of course, myself

END

Patrick Hwang
Copyright 1999