Jump! Ultimate Stars
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Kurama Character FAQ
Version 1.0
12/21/2006
Version 1.0: Preliminary guide completed. Expect an overhaul on the Tactics
section on the next update.
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.
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Contents
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I. Introduction
II. Controls and Basic Terminology
III. Who is Kurama?
IV. Obtaining Kurama
V. Kurama's Moveset
VI. Strategy and Techniques
A) Tactics
B) Strengths and Weaknesses
VII. Koma Deck Support
VIII. Conclusion
IX. Copyrights and Other Legal Stuff
X. Contact Information
XI. Credits and Special Thanks
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I. Introduction
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Hey, folks! Welcome to my Kurama Character FAQ for Jump! Ultimate Stars! That's
Right, ladies and gentlemen, that quirky fighting game for the DS is back. And
this time, the minds behind the games have dug deep and given us an insanely
large roster of fighters to choose from. One such fighter is Kurama, one of the
four main guys of Yu Yu Hakusho fame. Though this guy may look wimpy, that
whip of his can dish out some serious punishment. So give those more popular
characters a rest and see what this whip-wielding pretty boy has to offer.
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II. Controls and Basic Terminology
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Controls
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D-Pad: Basic Movement/Blocking
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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 Kurama rush his opponent with a barrage of whip cracks, but
pressing Up + X will make him summon a few man-eating plants to ravage anyone
directly above or to the sides of him. Also, press Forward + Forward quickly
will cause Kurama to dash.
In order to block, simply press Down on the D-Pad. This game also allows you to
perform a handful of attacks while in defensive stance; While defending, press
the Y Button for Kurama to throw a seed projectile at his enemy. Also while
defending, press the B Button for Kurama to cause rose petals to swirl around
him. If an enemy is hit by a petal, he or she will suddenly change into another
character in its respective Koma Deck.
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A Button: Jumping
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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.
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B Button: Weak Attacks
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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.
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Y Button: Medium Attacks
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More powerful variations of the weak attacks. In Kurama's case, his Rose Whip
Can extend for mid-range combat as well as score multiple hit combos.
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X Button: Special Attacks
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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.
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L and R Buttons:
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These buttons can be assigned to various characters in your Koma Deck. Once
Assigned, you can summon the characters by pressing their corresponding
buttons for quick switches and combos.
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Terminology
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Koma
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Jump! Ultimate Stars is not your typical fighting game. Instead of merely
choosing characters from a roster, you have to complete certain objectives
in the game's story mode. By completing these tasks, you are granted a
character's "Koma" which looks like a little square with the character's face
on it. In order to turn this block into something useable, you must go to the
Evolution Menu, then find out how many gems (little colored pickups strewn
throughout the game) it'll take to unlock the Koma's next form. Once you've
upgraded the Koma to a higher level, it can be placed on a 4 X 5 grid found
in the Deck Creation Menu.
Koma is broken down by its size as such:
1 Block: Character's mugshot. While they may have certain powers, 1-Block
Koma are called "Help Koma," meaning that they can be attached to
the larger "Battle Koma" for specific use.
2-3 Blocks: These are called "Support Koma." They can be summoned to use
specific attacks to bolster your offensive strategies. For
example, Goku's Support Koma allows him to fire his signature
Kamehameha Wave for a few moments, then disappear.
4-8 Blocks: These are "Battle Koma." As their name implies, these Koma
correspond to the characters that be actively used for fighting
at all times during a battle. As the size of the Koma increases,
so do a characters powers. Also, a character will gain new moves
depending on what size of Koma is used.
In order to make a deck that can be used in a battle, you must have at least
one of each of these three types in the grid; At least one Help, Support, and
Battle Koma must be present for a deck to be usable. Koma is further broken
down into three major categories: Power, Knowledge, and Laughter. These three
operate on the concept of rock-paper-scissors:
Power beats Knowledge
Knowledge beats Laughter
Laughter beats Power
Basically, if you use a Power-based character against an enemy that is
Knowledge-based, you'll dish out 1.5 times the amount of damage. Kurama is
Knowledge-based.
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III. Who is Kurama?
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Kurama hails from the anime/manga Yu Yu Hakusho. When we are first introduced
to him, he doesn't seem like the villain he's supposed to be; he's calm, quiet,
and introspective. However, he is also one of the three demons that stole
powerful artifacts from the Spirit World. In Kurama's case, he's acquired the
Forlorn Hope, an object that could grant any wish, but for the price of the
wisher's life. After a few emotional confrontations with Yusuke Urameshi (who
was assigned to track down and defeat him), Kurama reveals his motives for
stealing the Forlorn Hope: he intends to use it to keep his human surrogate
mother from dying of severe illness. After everything went down, Kurama
eventually allied himself with Yusuke, along with Hiei and Kuwabara, to form
Team Urameshi.
However, there is more to Kurama than being a selfless demon. In the past,
his soul existed in the form of a famous thief named "Youko." Youko lived
in the form of a demonic fox, leading an existence of crime and danger for
over a 1,000 years. During a near-fatal fight against a bounty hunter, Youko
was forced to transfer his soul into the Human World, where he let his spirit
enter the womb of a random woman. Nine months later, Kurama was born. But while
Kurama was there in the flesh, Youko controlled his mind. At least, until he
learned to love his human mother. Thus Youko, the demonic master their, let his
new form become that of the kind-hearted boy we know as Kurama.
That doesn't mean that Youko's gone entirely soft, though. With over a 1,000
years of life behind him, the demon shared his knowledge with Kurama, allowing
the boy to grow up into an extremely intelligent adolescent and strategist for
Team Urameshi. On that same token, Kurama wields Youko's signature weapon: the
Rose Whip. Despite its fancy name, a combination of its deadly power, long
range, and Kurama's fighting abilities make a truly fearsome weapon. Kurama can
also convert his body into the form of Youko, allowing him to posses greater
levels of power and sheer brutality.
Long story short: Kurama has powerful whip, can transform into a demonic white
fox, and can thrash more bad guys than you should probably shake a stick at.
Don't let his feminine appearance and occasional vanity fool you; Kurama's wit
and combative capabilities make him a force to be reckoned with.
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IV. Obtaining Kurama
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In order to unlock Kurama, you must go to the first level of the Yu Yu Hakusho
World. You must complete the fourth objective, which states that you must get
at least 4 more points than your opponent. Afterward, go to the Koma Evolution
Menu and spend the following gems to unlock the higher forms:
1 Block: Complete the fourth objective of Mission 1 in the Yu Yu Haksuho world.
2 Block: Spend 15 Red Gems, 35 Green Gems, and 5 White Gems.
3 Block: Spend 30 Red Gems, 70 Green Gems, and 10 White Gems.
4 Block: Spend 30 Red Gems, 70 Green Gems, and 10 White Gems.
5 Block: Spend 100 Red Gems, 200 Green Gems, and 20 White Gems.
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V. Kurama's Moveset
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1 Block (Help Koma): Regenerates your special move gauge if you don't
change characters.
2 Block (Support Koma): Sprays a mist to the direct right and left of where he
stands, temporarily blinding any enemies.
3 Block (Support Koma): Restores some health to your Battle Characters
4 Block (Battle Koma):
Command Damage Effect
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A + B 7 Short-range aerial slash
A + Y 14 Throws a rose down diagonally
B 7 Forward Slash
D-Pad Up + B 7 Upward Slash
D-Pad Down + B 7 Summons a swirl of petals and
changes enemy into another.
D-Pad Forward + B 7 Forward thrust
D-Pad Forward (2x) + B 7 Forward Dash + Forward Thrust
Y 4 Forward swing with the whip
D-Pad Up + Y 4-10 Upward swing with the whip.Press
Y Repeatedly to score multiple
hits.
D-Pad Down + Y 12 Throws a seed to temporarily
stun enemy.
D-Pad Forward + Y 4-14 Forward swing with the whip.Press
Y repeatedly to score multiple
hits.
D-Pad Forward (2x) + Y 4 Forward Dash + Forward Swing
X 15 Quick multi-hit whip combo
D-Pad + X 19 Summon a barrage of vines
5 Block (Battle Koma):
Command Damage Effect
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A + B 7 Short-range aerial slash
A + Y 14 Throws a rose down diagonally
B 7 Forward Slash
D-Pad Up + B 7 Upward Slash
D-Pad Down + B 7 Summon a swirl of petals to
switch enemy characters
D-Pad Forward + B 7 Forward Thrust
D-Pad Forward (2x) + B 7 Forward Dash + Forward Thrust
Y 11 Forward swing with the whip
D-Pad Up + Y 4-14 Upward swing with the whip.Press
Y repeatedly to score successive
hits.
D-Pad Down + Y 12 Throws a seed to temporarily
stun enemies
D-Pad Forward + Y 4-14 Forward swing with the whip.Press
Y repeatedly to score successive
hits.
D-Pad Forward (2x) + Y 4 Forward swing with the whip.
X 36 Morph into Youko and Summon a
barrage of vines.
D-Pad Up + X 38 Moprh into Youko and Summon a
group of man-eating plants.
Select 0 Plants a seed. Will stun an enemy
if stepped on.
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V. Strategy and Techniques
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I'm no fighting game guru, but here's some stuff to consider:
***Still working on this; expect a more developed section in the next version***
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A) Tactics
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1) Jump Canceling
Fans of SSBM will be happy to know that the Jump Canceling technique is alive
and well in the core gameplay of J!US. When Kurama (or nearly any other
character, for that matter) jumps, there is a fair amount of time when he's
simply hovering just above the platform. While he may land within half a
a second, that's still enough time to capitalize on his lack of defenses and
start juggling him. Thus, pressing:
DPad Down + A
in midair makes him drop quickly back down to the platform, thus eliminating
that unnecessary hover time. If you're in an arena with plenty of platforms,
jump canceling will make maneuvering around much easier, thus making evasion
and basic combat much easier to perform.
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B) Strengths and Weaknesses
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Okay, so Kurama's got a ton of potential combos within his moveset; several of
his attacks can be connected for multi-hit combos that can really rack up some
damage. Also, his overall speed can make him a force to be reckoned with against
slower characters. His whip allows him to operate on close and mid to long-range
tactics, making him an effective and versatile character. Since his attacks can
hit multiple enemies at once, he can extremely useful in battles where you're
facing more than one opponent at a time. If you supplement his power with the
right characters, you can build up his Special Attack gauge, allowing you
to easily abuse his X specials. Speaking of which, his X move can work absurdly
well as a ring-out maneuver.
That being said, Kurama is horribly, horribly underpowered. Nearly all of his
attacks can only inflict somewhere between 4 and 14 damage. This makes him
kind of outclassed when you're facing HP juggernauts like Vegito and Bobobo.
You'll have to use Kurama's combo's to slowly whittle down your opponent's
health while trying to defend against far more powerful attacks. It's even
worse when you're facing an enemy one on one. But if you're tangled up with
a crowd of enemies, you'll likely better off working at long range or edge
guarding to get your KOs, then building up your Special Attack gauge to
get in a few more devastating blows.
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V. Koma Deck Support
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The following characters feature Ally Boosts for Kurama:
Hiei (Yu Yu Hakusho): Adds another bar to your Special Attack Gauge. Also
nullifies Poison.
Kuwabara (Yu Yu Hakusho): Regenerates Special Attack gauge.
Shun (Saint Seiya): Adds another bar to your Special Attack Gauge. Also
regenerates Special Attack gauge when you block
an attack at the last moment.
Kurama can also perform an Ally Boost. He will cause the Special Attack
Gauge to regenerate, as long as you don't switch out characters or use
Support Koma. The following characters receive Ally Boosts from him:
Hiei (Yu Yu Hakusho
Robin (One Piece)
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VIII. Conclusion
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Well folks, there you have it. Kurama may look like a pretty boy, but his
skills with a whip and demonic powers make him one of the more interesting
fighters in both Team Urameshi and Jump! Ultimate Stars. Gamers that like to
operate with multiple combos and mid/long range tactics ought to appreciate
Kurama for what he brings to the table. Such abilities are balanced out by
weak attacks and the need to be supplemented with Help and Support characters.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this little FAQ, and maybe got some use out of it.
In the meantime, keep that DS charged, and may your gaming sessions be long
and enjoyable. Later, folks!
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IX. Copyrights and Other Legal Stuff
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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
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X. Contact Information
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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 "Kurama 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.
-Given that I've got a full college workload on top of a job, it may take a
while for me to respond. My apologies in advance. ^_^;
-You can reach me at: discoinferno84<at>gmail.com
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XI. Credits and Special Thanks
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-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! Ultimate Stars
-Cartoon Network, for getting me hooked on Yu Yu Hakusho all those years ago.
-You, for reading this FAQ.
