Jump Superstars
---------------
Piccolo Character FAQ
Version 1.0
03/18/06
Copyright 2006 Justin "discoinferno84" Boot. Any unauthorized use of this
guide is a violation of copyright law. This guide is to be used exclusively on
Gamefaqs (www.gamefaqs.com) and may not be publicly distributed otherwise. See
the end of this FAQ for further explanation.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Contents
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I. Introduction
II. Controls and Basic Terminology
III. Who is Piccolo?
IV. Obtaining Piccolo
V. Piccolo's Moveset
A. Strategy
VI. Conclusion
VII. Copyrights and Other Legal Stuff
VIII. Contact Information
IX. Credits and Special Thanks
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I. Introduction
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hey folks! Welcome to my Piccolo Character FAQ for Jump Superstars! This game
features one of the largest collections of famous anime characters ever
assembled. Though not a traditional fighting game by any means, Jump Superstars
remains one of the great unappreciated games in the DS gaming library. If
you've never imported a game before, this one might make you a believer...
Whoops, kinda got sidetracked there. Bottom line: this game kicks ass. Among
the massive lineup of characters to choose from, Piccolo can be easy to miss.
That doesn't mean he's worth skipping, though. Send Naruto to school and give
Goku a rest; it's Piccolo Appreciation Time, baby.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
II. Controls and Basic Terminology
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------
Controls
--------
D-Pad: Basic Movement/Blocking
Super Smash Bros. veterans will feel right at home with some of this setup. Not
only does the D-Pad allow you to move your character left and right, but it
also provides some variation with regards to attacks. For example, pressing the
X button will make Piccolo do the Special Beam Cannon, but pressing Up on the
D-Pad and pressing X will make him do something else. More on that later. Press
down to Block.
A Button: Jumping
Many of the fighting arenas are filled with platforms and small areas. However,
Jumping isn't just about leaping from place to place; timing aerial attacks and
avoiding enemies can obviously prove useful at times.
B Button: Weak Attack
Don't feel like dishing out some flashy colors and mind-boggling maneuvers?
Punish your foes by shamelessly spamming the B Button. The attacks may not pack
quite a wallop as the Medium or Special Attacks, but they're sure to annoy the
opposition.
X Button: Special Attack
Tired of messing around with your foe? Wanna serve up some real pain? Time to
give the X Button a go. Doing so will make your character execute one of their
signature attacks. However, using a Special Attacks requires that the energy
gauge (the blue line under your health bar) be filled completely at least once.
The number next to the energy gauge shows how many times you've filled it, as
Well as how many times you can perform a Special Attack before needing to
refill.
L-R Buttons: Blocking
Can't afford to take too much damage? Hold down the shoulder buttons to get
your defensive game on. Don't block for too long, however; after a few
moments your character will start to flash red. If he takes too many attacks
while defending, he'll end up stunned for a few seconds, leaving him totally
open to attack.
----
Koma
----
Jump Superstars is not just about fighting; completing objectives in the
Adventure Mode and participating in battles will grant you a small jumble of
blocks called "Koma". These things look like scraps taken out of a comic book
(or more accurately, a manga.) If you search around the menus or play the
Adventure Mode, you'll likely come across a 4 X 5 grid on the bottom screen of
your DS. This grid can be filled up with Koma, given that you can combine the
black and white clusters with appropriate character's mug shot. This system of
character creation can prove pretty tedious, especially if you can't read
Japanese and don't bother watching what and when you've unlocked something new.
Koma is broken down as such:
1 Block: Picture of the character's face. While they have small independent
powers, they are normally combined with larger blocks to create
more powerful Koma. Also, some characters hold special affinities
with others, thus boosting the overall power.
2-3 Blocks: Support Characters that can be summoned to provide additional
attacks, health, etc.
5-7 Blocks: Characters that can be used independently in battle. The Special
Attacks will vary depending on the size of the Koma, but generally,
the larger Koma provides stronger attacks.
In order to make a deck that can be used in a battle, you must have at least
one of each of these three in the grid. If you want to make a complete 2-7
sized Koma, you'll have to place the incomplete block in the grid, then
place the character's 1-block sized picture in the necessary empty space. It's
just like making your own comic strip.
However, Koma is broken down further into three major categories: Power,
Knowledge, and Laughter. These three operate on a basic rock-paper-scissors
formula:
Power beats Knowledge
Knowledge beats Laughter
Laughter beats Power
Basically, if you use a Power Koma and take on a character based on Knowledge,
you'll deal 1.5 times the amount of damage you'd make otherwise. Piccolo's
Special Beam Cannon (Press X Button) is Power-based, but his Up-X Specials are
Knowledge-based.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
III. Who is Piccolo?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
***DRAGONBALL/Z SPOILERS AHOY***
A long time ago, a young boy named Goku fought with a tyrant called King
Piccolo. This guy had the ability to produce minions asexually, spitting out
giant eggs at will. In a heated battle for supremacy, Goku managed to kill the
king and restore peace to the land. But before King Piccolo died, he spit out
one final egg. After it was hatched, the Piccolo we all know and love was
introduced.
Initially, Piccolo was a yet another evil villain that Goku and his friends
had to take down. Both Piccolo and Goku rivaled each other in strength, speed,
and power, constantly clashing in fighting tournaments and some of the
greatest bouts in the original Dragonball series.
With the transition to the Dragonball Z series, however, Piccolo's character
went in a slightly different direction; Instead of playing a badass villain,
he became a badass good guy while still maintaining his occasionally friendly
rivalry with Goku. He also became a mentor/instructor to Goku's son, Gohan.
It was later revealed that Piccolo is in fact an alien, his bloodline reaching
back to a planet called Namek. (As if the green skin, pointy ears, and
antennae weren't enough indication.)
Piccolo is credited as a brilliant strategist and technical fighter, but he
became less and less of a central character as the DBZ series wore on. He was
later surpassed by his former rival Goku, his only pupil (and seemingly
surrogate son) Gohan, and a few other characters later on. However, Piccolo's
still a solid addition to any fight. He's got a slew of unique abilities,
including telekinesis, regenerative body parts, stretchy skin, and far more
intelligence and cunning than almost all of the other DBZ lineup.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
IV. Obtaining Piccolo
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So, you want a piece of this mean, green fighting machine? You're going to have
to work for it! Like most other characters, you can't use a character until you
have unlocked the necessary Koma from the Adventure Mode. Thankfully,
everything you need can be found in one shot.
Go to the Battleground (the area that looks like a volcanic wasteland). Go to
Mission 3-6.
Mission Objective Unlockable
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Defeat all opponents Piccolo 1-Block Koma
Hit an enemy 10 times with Support Characters Kami 1-Block Koma
Have exactly 5 Support Komas in your deck Nail 1-Block Koma
Hit an enemy 20 times with an Piccolo 4-Block Koma
attack with an opposite category.
(Laughter/Power/Knowledge)
KO your opponent two or more times. Piccolo 5-Block Koma
These are all the pieces needed to create Piccolo's complete Koma collection.
Note:
-Piccolo's 1-Block Koma grants invincibility for a few seconds.
-Piccolo shares an affinity with Gohan, Gotenks, and Dende Koma.
-Piccolo shares a Tag Team Special Attack with Dr. Mashirito. They perform the
Fusion Dance (they combine into a single being) and yell out words that injure
Foes.
In order to use Piccolo's 4 and 5-Block Koma, you'll have to use Piccolo, Kami
And Nail's 1-Block Koma to activate them.
Piccolo's 4-Block and 5-Block Koma looks something like this:
4-Block: 5-Block
AB AB
B AB
B B
A = Filled Space
B = Empty Space
Put Piccolo, Kami, and Nail's Koma in the corresponding blocks (symbolized as
"B" in the above diagram), and you'll have activated the Koma!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
V. Piccolo's Moveset
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Okay, so you've got this bad boy up and running. Time to dish out some pain,
Piccolo style!
B (Weak) Attacks:
Command Damage Effect
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
B: 3 Slash with left hand
DPad Up + B: 4 Aerial Forward Kick
DPad Down + B: 9 Shoot lightning from antennae
DPad Forward + B: 3 Shoot laser beam from eyes
DPad Forward (2X) + B: 8 Rush forward + knee thrust
Y: 11 Shoot energy beam from hand
DPad Up + Y: 10 Shoot energy beam diagonally up from mouth
DPad Down + Y: 12 Shoot lightning from antennae
DPad Forward + Y: 2 Stretch out arm forward, grab enemy
and retract
X: Fire the Special Beam Cannon
DPad Up + X: Rip off arm and regenerate it. Completely restores
Health, but requires power gauge to be filled at least
once. (Works exclusively on Piccolo's 4-Block Koma)-
-OR-
Create a series of energy balls to surround enemy, then
fire all at once. Requires power gauge to be filled at
least once. (Works only on Piccolo's 5-Block Koma)
**NOTE** The damage of Special (X Button) Attacks will vary depending on the
size of the Koma you're using. The 4-Block Special Beam Cannon will
cause 18 damage, while the 5-Block Special Beam Cannon will be boosted
to 20. Also, the hits are consecutive; they must all hit multiple
times to cause the maximum damage. Also, the 5-Block Up + X attack
causes 24 damage max if all energy balls hit the enemy.
-----------
A. Strategy
-----------
I'm no great fighting game guru, but here are a few things to consider:
-The Special Beam Cannon is an incredibly efficient way to score ringouts. The
Beam hits all enemies in its path, forcing them all back a fair distance.
Should a broken wall or bottomless pit be nearby, don't hesitate to clear the
Arena with the attack. If possible, try including a more powerful character
in your deck; he or she can help break walls faster.
-Piccolo's stretchy arm can be very useful for setting attack combos.
Simply grab the foe using Forward + Forward Y, then quickly tap the Y Button
once the enemy is close enough. Same works with Up Y and the Special Beam
Cannon as well.
-Use characters' affinities to add even more to Piccolo's formidable prowess.
For example, the game references the anime to include special affinities for
him, Gohan, Dende, and Gotenks (Gohan and Gotenks are pupils, Dende is a
Namekian). Using them in the same deck will not only give Piccolo a boosted
health gauge, but it will provide an excellent support with Gohan and Dende
playing backup with Gotenks as a powerful fighter in case things get too rough
for one fighter to handle. For example, you could have:
AAAAA
APPTT
GGPTT
AGPDT
A = Empty Space for more Support Koma
P = Piccolo
T = Gotenks
G = Gohan
D = Dende
I'm just throwing this one out there as an example; I'm sure there are plenty
of folks out there who are far more particular with their Koma decks than I am.
Go ahead, mix and match, and see if you can find a worthwhile combination.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
VI. Conclusion
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All right folks, there it is. Piccolo may not be the strongest character in
his respective anime or this game, but he's still got a few nifty tricks up
his green sleeves. He's a great character, complete with a badass attitude,
decent story (for DBZ, that is), and enough a fan following to be included
in this game. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this FAQ, and that you might get
some use out of it should you consider giving the green dude a chance.
In the meantime, keep that DS battery freshly charged, and may your gaming
Sessions be long and enjoyable. Later folks!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
VII. Copyrights and Other Legal Stuff
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Look folks, plagiarizing someone's stuff isn't a very nice or smart thing to
do. In fact, it's illegal! That being said, this document is an electronically
published work under full copyright protection. If for some unbeknownst reason
that you want to use this FAQ, permission is granted ONLY as a private and
personal reference copy. This guide may only be used on gamefaqs.com. Any
other reproduction without my consent is strictly prohibited.
(c) discoinferno84 All Rights Reserved
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
VIII. Contact Information
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
People who send me useless emails tick me off. Thus:
-I will gladly take suggestions and/or constructive criticism for making this
guide better. Be sure to include "Piccolo FAQ" somewhere in
the title of the email.
-I will accept any information that I may have missed in this version.
-Do NOT send me spam/chain letters/ whatever other junk that might seem funny.
-You can reach me at: discoinferno84<at>gmail.com
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
IX. Credits and Special Thanks
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-Nintendo, for adding this awesome game to the DS library. If only I didn't
have to import it.
-Gamefaqs for hosting this FAQ and providing information for gamers like me.
-Genroh, for understanding Japanese when I couldn't and writing a truly awesome
FAQ that proved instrumental in helping me succeed in Jump Superstars.
-You, for reading this FAQ.
