Jump! Ultimate Stars Abarai Renji FAQ
Written by MasterTurtle (aka Hyperslasher) Version 2.0
---------------------------------
=====================================================
TABLE OF CONTENTS
=====================================================
RJ1: Character introduction
RJ2: Renji's basic attacks
RJ3: How to obtain Renji
RJ4: Renji's different Koma
RJ5: Good supporters
RJ6: How to fight with Renji
RJ7: Renji's combos
RJ8: Legal stuff
=====================================================
RJ1: Character introduction
=====================================================
Abarai Renji. One of the most popular characters in Bleach, and now
he's playable in Jump! Ultimate Stars for the DS. So how good is he?
According to most tier lists, he's either average or above, though that
largely depends on the skills of the player.
In Bleach, Renji is the Sixth Division Vice-Captain, and one of the
strongest Shinigami in Soul Society. He's one of only 3 non-captains
who have achieved Bankai, the ultimate release of his Zanpakuto
(Zanpakuto's are the swords characters in Bleach use). His Zanpakuto,
Zabimaru, is a sword that can extend and retract, and can attack at both
close range and at a distance. In the story of Bleach, he's friends
with Rukia, but still takes her back to Soul Society for the execution.
He changes his mind later, though, and tries to rescue her. Note that
when I'm referring to Zabimaru, I'm referring to Renji's sword in it's
whip-like form, and when I'm just talking about his sword, I'm talking
about his regular sword. Hopefully that'll clear a few things up.
In Jump! Ultimate Stars, Renji is a balanced attacker that can function
well at both melee range and at a distance. His regular attacks are
fairly strong, plus he has several abilities that can hit from a good
distance. If we look at his pros and cons quickly:
PROS:
- Good at both melee and range
- Has warp dash
- Has powerful specials
- Good health
CONS:
- Is easily countered by guard (his guard break is very slow)
- Very vulnerable to push attack
- None of his attacks are very fast, so he can get tossed around a bit
by quicker opponents
=====================================================
RJ2: Renji's basic attacks
=====================================================
Alright, starting at the beginning, I'll give a brief description of
Renji's basic attacks, as well as how much damage they do. Some attacks
are much more useful than others, and I'll point out which those are in
this section. I'm not going to list the really basic controls, since if
you've unlocked Renji you've already completed something like 20 worlds.
B - A slash with Renji's sword. Does 9 damage. Not much to say about
this one, it's your average B attack.
B + side - Renji dashes forward a bit and slashes. Does 9 damage.
B + up - A quick upwards slash, it and knocks enemies into the air,
setting them up for Renji's up Y. Does 9 damage.
B + down - Renji charges for a second, then releases energy, forcing
enemies to switch characters. The range on this one is actually a bit
shorter than it looks like. Deals 9 damage.
B aerial - A quick slash in the air. Good to use if someone else is in
the air right next to you, and knocks enemies into the air, setting them
up for Renji's up Y. Deals 9 damage.
Y - Renji attacks multiple times with Zabimaru. Each hit only does 3
damage, but it hits up to six times, and holds the opponent in place
for a few seconds. Excellent for pulling off a slower support, or just
as a follow-up to his B attacks. One important thing to remember is
that Renji steps forward slightly during the attack, and he can fall
off edges by doing this. Be VERY careful when using this move to
edgeguard, because you'll suffer an embarrassing death if you're not
careful.
Y + side - Renji extends Zabimaru, attacking enemies in a line. A decent
attack, and the range is nice, but there's a bit of windup and recovery
time when you use it, so be careful of that. The damage varies slightly
depending on how close you are, but it usually does 16-18 damage.
Y + up - Renji spins Zabimaru in a circle above his head, knocking
nearby enemies into the air. Pressing Y multiple times causes the
attack to hit more. Deals between 10 and 22 damage, depending on how
long you hit an enemy with it. Essential to pulling off his 4 koma's
up X attack, but the direction it tosses enemies in seems to be random,
so using it along with supports is difficult. Note that while this
can hit most opponents while they're on the ground, it will miss some
short people if they're on the ground (like Don Patch). Be aware of
this.
Y + down - Renji charges for a second, then jumps forward and slams
Zabimaru into the ground. Can break guard. In general, this isn't a
great attack, since it's so slow. In addition, it doesn't hit an enemy
if they're right next to you, making it even harder to use. Does 18
damage.
Y aerial - Renji extends Zabimaru downwards at an angle, damaging
enemies. It's a very nice move, since it has good range and can go
through floors, unlike some projectiles. Damage greatly varies
depending on how many times it hits, although the most I've seen is 20.
Note that this ability makes a good edgeguard, since it hits people on
ledges.
Select - Renji taunts the opponent, restoring a small portion of his
special bar. Not much to say about this one, use it if you're not in a
fight and you need more special energy.
Moves involving X are specials. I'll get to those in the "Renji's
different Koma" Section, since different Koma forms have different
special attacks.
Also, note that Renji is a power type character, and all of his
abilities will deal 1.5 times regular damage against a knowledge type
opponent.
=====================================================
RJ3: How to obtain Renji
=====================================================
Renji is obtained in the Bleach world. It's one of the later worlds you
visit, in the J-Blackhole area, in the first set of worlds you come
across. It's right next to Yuyu Hakusho and Shaman King, and the name
even says Bleach, in English. Pretty hard to miss :P
Once you're in the Bleach world, you have to unlock Renji by completing
mission 4 and objective 5. The fifth objective requires you to get at
least 2 KO's using special attacks. You're stuck using a pre-made deck
for this mission, which includes Ichigo and Renji. I've found that the
best way to clear this mission is to hang back and let the computer
players fight each other, and use Renji's X move to finish one of them
off when they're turning grey. Ichigo's X move works as well, but it's
a bit slower and more likely to be interrupted.
Once you've unlocked Renji, you can evolve his different Koma forms.
His chart is a pretty simple one, looking like (I apologize in advance
for my horrible ASCII art):
- S2 --- S3
l
H --- B4 --- B5 --- B6
S2: Costs 30 red, 20 green, and 5 white gems to unlock.
S3: Costs 80 red, 20 green, and 10 white gems to unlock.
B4: Costs 160 red, 40 green, and 10 white gems to unlock.
B5: Costs 150 red, 250 green, and 20 white gems to unlock.
B6: Costs 400 red, 200 green, and 30 white gems to unlock.
To unlock all of Renji's evolutions costs a total of 820 red, 530 green,
and 75 white gems.
=====================================================
RJ4: Renji's different Koma
=====================================================
Alright, this section is just a description of what's different in
Renji's various Koma forms. Like all battle characters, he can be all 3
different types of Koma, so I'll describe each of those. Note that all
of Renji's different forms are power based, and will deal 1.5 times
regular damage to knowledge based characters.
Help Koma: Renji's help Koma effect increases the SP gauge when
attacking or blocking with a battle character.
Shape: []
Support Koma (2 block): Renji appears and stabs Zabimaru into the
ground. A second later, Zabimaru stabs out of the ground at a random
nearby enemy, dealing 24 damage. Overall, not a great support. You
have to be fairly close to the enemy for this to work, lessening it's
usefulness.
Shape: [][]
Support Koma (3 block): Renji appears, and after you choose a target
using the touch screen (if you don't choose a target, he just picks an
enemy and performs the move anyways), he uses a technique called Higa
Zekkou, which causes six blades to hover around an enemy, then converge,
dealing 36 damage. Unlike his 2 block support, this one can hit
regardless of where you are, and does more damage, making it a much
nicer move. The damage might end up being slightly less, if some of the
blades get blocked. Still not that useful of a support in any
circumstances.
Shape: [][][]
Random Bleach fact: Higa Zekkou (Translated: Break off the Baboon's
fang) is a technique Renji only uses a few times during the story.
After using it, he's unable to use Zabimaru in any form other than the
basic katana for awhile, due to the power of the attack. Luckily, this
isn't the case in the game ^_^
-----------------------------------------
Battle Koma (4 block): Renji's basic battle evolution, the one you use
in the mission to get him. Note that all of Renji's battle Koma have
the air dash ability, and the "warp dash" ability. Warp dash lets you
dash through other targets without slowing down. 4 Koma Renji is
probably his best form, actually.
-----------------------------------------
J-Soul: 152
Special attack A: After about .5 seconds of charge time, Renji swings
Zabimaru forward in a wide arc, dealing 36 damage to nearby enemies and
24 damage to enemies a bit further away. Generally, it's not that
useful. His other 4 koma special deals more damage, and this one's too
slow to be used in a supportless combo. On the plus side, it knocks
enemies through thin floors and can hit targets on edges, so don't forget
that.
Special attack B: After about .5 seconds of charging time, Renji swings
Zabimaru around him in a circle repeatedly, slashing nearby enemies.
Hitting X repeatedly prolongs the attack. Deals between 18 and 42
damage, depending on how many times it hits, and knocks back when the
attack is finished. Put simply, this attack is excellent for a 4 koma -
it does great damage and can be used in a combo easily.
Shape: []
[]
[]
[]
-----------------------------------------
Battle Koma (5 block): The second of Renji's battle evolutions, it has
the most variety in it's special attacks.
-----------------------------------------
J-Soul: 168
Special attack A: After a short charge time, Renji slashes enemies in
front of him multiple times, knocking them back when the attack is
finished. Hitting X repeatedly extends the attack. Deals between 19
and 43 damage, depending on how many times it hits. A very nice move
for ringouts or just damaging multiple opponents, since it doesn't let
them move until the attack is finished. Note that enemies that are
further away from you may not take the full damage.
Special attack B: Renji uses the Higa Zekkou technique, creating six
blades that converge on the enemy. There are 2 main differences between
this and his 3 koma support's attack. The first is that this one has
limited range (you need to be at least fairly close to your opponent)
but automatically targets, and the second is that this one has slightly
higher damage (42 if all the blades hit). A fair amount less useful
than his 3 support, mainly due to the limited range.
Shape: [][]
[][]
[]
-----------------------------------------
Battle Koma (6 block): Renji's final battle evolution. In the art, you
can see that he has achieved Bankai form.
-----------------------------------------
J-Soul: 184
Special attack A: After about 1.5 seconds of charge time, Renji calls
out his Bankai form, a giant snakelike monster that surges forward,
damaging and pushing back all enemies. While the charge time makes this
move hard to use, it's extremely powerful (50 damage or more if an enemy
is caught for the whole duration) and is excellent for pushing opponents
off ledges, since they'll just keep getting knocked down if they try to
get back up. I'll go into more detail on how to use this one later.
Special attack B: Renji unleashes his Bankai form after about 1.5
seconds of charge time, just like his first special. The difference is
that this one goes upwards instead of to the right, making it slightly
less useful overall (you can't get ringouts by pushing people upwards,
plus this one tends to deal less damage). Note that in both of Renji's
Bankai attacks, the snake coils behind him will count as hits if the
enemy touches them, but they deal no damage.
Shape: [][]
[][]
[][]
=====================================================
RJ5: Good supporters
=====================================================
Battle characters:
Looking at Renji's main weaknesses, (bad at breaking guard, not very
quick, not great at combos), it's best to pick a partner that doesn't
have these weaknesses. Here are a few that are fairly good:
Bankai Ichigo 7: He's lightning fast, and boosts Renji as well. They're
both power though, so be aware of that.
Sasuke 7 or 8: Sasuke's fast, good at combos, and is knowledge in two
of his koma. I'd actually recommend his 7, since it's knowledge and
has a guardbreaking special. Also, both Sasuke and Renji are good at
holding an opponent for awhile, so using them both in a deck with a
slower support is a good idea.
Rukia (any): Rukia's fast and good at combos like Sasuke, plus she gets
ally boosts. Great character to have alongside Renji. Her 5 koma is
her best, but any of them are good.
Kakashi 4: Knowledge, he's fast and has range. Plus, his guard break is
very fast as well. His laughter 6 is good if you need a laughter type.
Kurama 4: Fast, good at combos, just a nice character in general. In
addition, his guard break is ranged and he can combo into it. He uses
whips to attack, so you could try creating a whip-themed deck.
Train (any): He's a fairly good character overall, and has a ranged
guard break that can be used in a combo.
Don Patch (any): He's fairly fast and laughter, making him a good
character to have with Renji.
Tsuna 6: He's unusual, but great at combos and is laughter. Really, any
koma of his is good.
Sakura 6: Sakura 6 has an alt laughter, plus she can heal. She's got
a ranged guard break as well.
Allen (4 or 5): Knowledge, and has a very nice guardbreaking special.
Also, he can combo regular attacks from his guard break.
Support characters:
Renji's main tool for supports is his Y. It holds enemies in place for
a few seconds, making it fairly easy to pull off close range supports
that have a bit of startup time. Here are some examples, plus a few
other supports that work well:
Byakuya 2: Well...he isn't a great support overall, but he boosts
Renji, and inflicts immobilize. If you use Renji's Bankai on an
immobilized opponent, it can break guard if they're backed up against
something. Not a real great strategy, but you can try it.
Any beam support: Good for causing ringouts, since Renji's Y will
most likely cover the startup time. There are plenty, take your pick.
Allen 3, Anna 3, Sanosuke 3, Kanda 2, Yusuke 2: All of these supports
break guard, something that Renji can't do easily. Of these, Kanda 2
is probably the best, since it's fairly quick and you can hit someone
after it goes off if you're fast enough. Yusuke 2 is also quite good,
since it keeps hitting the opponent and lets you use slower specials.
Josuke 2 and Satsuki 2: Both of them are effective, small size healers.
Not really much else to say about them. Personally, I prefer Josuke,
but it's your choice. Josuke is horizontal from Jojo's Bizzare
Adventure, he looks like a guy with a mini-afro. Satsuki is a vertical
from Ichigo 100%, she looks sad in the art.
Orhime 3: A decent healer for 3 or 4 character decks, since she heals
everyone in your deck at once. Also, she boosts non-bankai Ichigo,
who boosts Renji. She's from Bleach, and is shaped like a square with
the upper left gone, and she looks angry in the art.
Shishio 2: He's fairly overused, but can be used easily from Renji's
Y attack. There's actually just enough space after his attack to use
any of Renji's specials, even his Bankai. He's from Rurouni Kenshin and
is a vertical, he looks a bit like a mummy.
Okita 3: He's rarely used, but can be pretty effective. There's enough
time after Renji's Y for him to go off, and he inflicts quite a lot of
damage. He's a horizontal from Gintama, and looks condescending in the
art.
Inui Sadaharu 3: He has a bit of startup time and a weird hitbox, but
deals 26 damage, drains 2 sp bars, and support seals. Definitely a
worthwhile support if you can use him right. He's from Prince of
Tennis, and is a horizontal. He's a guy with glasses, and he's saying
100% in the art.
Gyro Zeppeli 2: He has a bit of startup time, but he holds the opponent
for quite awhile. Try calling him on the third slash of Renji's Y
attack, and Gyro will hit after Renji finishes attacking. He's vertical
and is from Jojo's Bizzare Adventure, he's a creepy looking guy with
lipstick on.
For help Koma, triple jump is always a nice one to have around. Eve
(Black Cat) and Devil bat (Eyeshield 21) give this effect, along with a
few others. Reduce damage taken from special attacks is always a nice
one to have around, Sven (Black Cat), Sasuke (Naruto), and Seiya (Saint
Seiya) have this ability. If you like to play defensively (which Renji
is good at), then Koma that regenerate health might come in handy.
Orochimaru (Naruto) and Kazuki Mutou (Busou Renkin) have this ability,
along with some others. Increasing the strength of your guard really
helps if you're getting knocked around a lot. Tatsuki (Bleach) and
Miranda (D gray man) both give this ability.
=====================================================
RJ6: How to fight with Renji
=====================================================
Now that you know all about his attacks, it's time to get to the meat of
this FAQ: How to win battles with Renji.
In general, Renji's 4 koma is his best one. It's up X special can
be easily and reliably chained from his up Y, and does huge damage
for a 4 koma. His X special is alright, but not great - you can't
combo it from a regular attack, and it deals less damage then his
up X. It can hit people on edges and knock through thin floors,
though.
His 5 koma is alright. It's X special does good damage (though it's
actually about the same amount as 4's up X), but can't be reliably
comboed from a regular attack. So, the regular combo when using Renji
5 is B, side B, Y, support, X special, which usually works well for
ringouts. His up X special really isn't good - it's slow, and doesn't
deal any more damage than his X.
Renji's 6 koma has by far the most powerful specials, but they're also
by far the slowest. Using a support or having an opponent who's not
paying attention is a requirement for pulling them off. One thing to
note about his X special (and this is true for all beam type specials)
is that it will deal more damage if your opponent is backed up against
a wall. The interesting thing about this, though, is that when an
opponent is against an edge and guarding, it has the same effect as
if they're against a wall. Normally this wouldn't be of any use,
because, well...they're guarding. But higher level beam specials
and Renji's Bankai can actually break guard through just damage if
they hit a guarding opponent near the edge. Keep this in mind for
sudden death - most opponents will just guard if they see it coming,
but they'll be in for a nasty surprise when their guard gets broken
and they're knocked off the edge.
Renji's attacks aren't extremely fast, but he does have some decent
combos. Most of his combos come from his Y, since it holds the
opponent down for awhile and is great for pulling off supports.
If you can get a fair distance away from the action (about or slightly
less than 1 screen width), Renji's 6 Koma special is a great move to
use. If used correctly (and with a bit of luck), your opponent will
run/dash into it, taking a good amount of damage. Don't do this too
much, though, or they'll start expecting it. You can do this with his
5 koma's X, as well.
Renji's 4 koma up X is a great move for an opponent who likes to go
aerial a lot - use it as they're coming down, and with any luck,
they'll land right on it.
Renji's Side Y and Y aerial are both good "poking" moves - ie, good
for throwing at an opponent when you're at a distance.
Also, if you're finding yourself in the air a lot, don't forget that you can
press down + A in the air to drop more quickly. This is an essential
strategy, and you won't be able to block a lot of aerial combos without
it.
Renji's Y attacks tend to leave him open, so be careful using them against
a blocking opponent, since some players can catch you in a combo right
after you finish attacking. Instead, try to use his B attacks more, or
switch to a different character and use their guard break.
If you have to use Renji's guard break, then try using a fast support
right afterwards, or your opponent will just go back to guarding after
taking minimal damage. Bo-BoBo 2 and Gotenks 3 both work well for this.
If you're doing a lot of running away and just using specials, don't
forget about Renji's ultimate action. The little bit of energy regained
can give you the extra chance to use a special, with any luck.
In sudden death, Renji can be a decent contender. If you're in a melee,
then pulling off one of Renji's higher level specials can ensure victory if
nobody blocks. He's not as good in 1v1, since your enemy will be more
likely to react and guard your specials. If possible, try to catch him
in a combo and deal as much damage as possible, or warp dash behind him
and attack when he's left open.
Renji's aerial Y can hit people on ledges. Remember this, and use it
accordingly.
Don't forget 4 koma Renji's X special. It can knock people through
floors, letting you get some easy kills on stages like Naruto and One
Piece.
I've said this before, but Renji's 5 Koma special is really good against
groups of enemies near a ledge. Use it, and the knockback alone will ringout
most of them.
====================================================
RJ7: Renji's combos
====================================================
Note that all of Renji's regular attacks and specials do power type damage,
so they'll do 1.5 times regular damage to knowledge characters. If a
support does damage of another type, I'll mention it.
Basic:
---------
B, Side B, Y: A decent regular combo, and a good start for using supports.
Not much else to say about it, really. Also, you can substitute up B for
side B if you want to.
36 damage
B, up B, up Y: Another decent combo, this does more damage then the last
one but is harder (more like impossible) to use with supports. Go figure.
40 damage.
B aerial, Y aerial: Renji's not a big aerial character, but you can use his
aerial Y after his aerial B, if you like.
Damage varies
Any koma:
---------
B, Side B, Y, Okita 3: Okita's a great support to use with Renji, since
Renji's Y covers up his long startup time. Okita deals 40 laughter
damage.
76 damage
B, Side B, Y, Inui 3: Similar to the above combo, Inui has a different
(and in my opinion, better) effect, but needs your opponent to be further
away. Inui deals 18 or 26 knowledge damage, depending on how he hits.
62 (or 54) damage
4 koma:
---------
Up B, Up Y, Up X: An excellent combo, one of the best you'll see on any
4 koma. You can throw a support in there, but the direction Renji's up
Y knocks them is random, so you don't know if they'll be in front of or
behind you. Unfortunately, this combo will miss if there's a thin floor
above you, so be aware of that.
73 damage
B, Up B, Up Y, Up X: Same combo as the last one, but with another attack.
Obviously, it does more damage, but this will only work if you're pretty
close to your opponent, so be warned.
82 damage
B, Up B, X: The only way you can reliably combo into Renji's X with
regular attacks. Damage-wise, this is inferior to his other combo, but
this knocks opponents through thin floors, which is the only thing you
should really use it for. Also, it may be possible to drop-guard through
this since I haven't really tested it yet, but I wouldn't worry about it,
as most opponents wouldn't expect this anyways.
54 damage
Up B, Up Y, Up X, Okita 3: This one's tricky to pull off, AND relies on
luck since the direction Renji's up Y throws the target is random.
Basically, you use Okita during the middle of Renji's up X, and they get
knocked away at the end of the attack. Difficult to pull off, but the
damage makes up for it. Okita deals 40 laughter damage. Also, you can
use B before this one just like one of his earlier combos, but it has a
chance of failing if you're not close enough.
113 damage
Up B, Up Y, Up X, Inui 3: Very similar to the above combo, but Inui hits
further away than Okita, so the timing is much harder. His effect is
absolutely nasty, though. Inui deals 26 (or 18, depends on exactly
where he hits) knowledge damage.
99 damage (8 less if Inui's first hit misses)
5 koma:
---------
B, Side B, Y, any beam support, X: Simple and good for ringouts. Take
whichever beamer you like. Arale 3 is fast and deals laughter damage,
and Train 3 inflicts shock, so both those are good.
Damage varies
6 koma:
---------
B, Side B, Y, Gotenks 3, X: One of the ways to get Renji's Bankai off, and
an okay combo in general. The knockback on this is pretty good, as well.
By the way, Gotenks 3 combos well with both Bankai Ichigo and Hitsugaya,
if you're looking to make a Bankai themed deck. Gotenks deals 32 laughter
damage.
113 damage (can vary depending on how much Bankai hits)
B, side B, Y, Shishio 2, X: Another combo with Renji's Bankai involved, and
a fairly good one. Note that the timing on this one is pretty tight - you
have to use Bankai right after Renji's Y attack finishes.
114 damage (again, can vary depending on a variety of factors)
Team combos:
---------
Energy whips-
Requires Naruto 5, Gyro 2, and Renji 4.
First, start out with Naruto. Do B, up B, Y, and X, which will start his
Rasengan with the kick beforehand. When the Rasengan starts to hit the
opponent, use Gyro 2, and switch to Renji (I recommend having him set to
either L or R). Step forward slightly (this part takes a lot of timing to
get down, I still can't pull it off too effectively), and use Renji's up B,
up Y, up X combo.
156 damage
B, side B, Y, Kagura 3, any strong but slow special - Kagura 3 holds anyone
for a large amount of time, so she's good for pulling off strong but slow
specials like Taikoubou 6's X.
====================================================
RJ8: Credits, Version Info and Legal Stuff
====================================================
Special thanks to:
Genroh - Well, without his FAQ, I'd still be stuck on the first level,
so much thanks for him and his excellent guide.
Nintendo - For making this great game.
Shonen Jump - For making this great game possible.
Version 1.0
FFandMMfan - His guides basically inspired me to make this one.
If you have questions or suggestions, email me at
[email protected], and include Renji FAQ in the title.
Version History
-----------
Version 1.10 changes: Fixed a few grammar oddities, and added a good
deal more information about using Renji correctly, as well as some
combos.
1.11 changes: Added another support and fixed a few other things.
1.21 changes: Added a few more supports and strategy info.
2.0 changes: Revamped several sections and added a combo section.
Legal Stuff
-----------
Copyright 2007 MasterTurtle
Last written/updated March 31, 2007
This may be not be reproduced under any circumstances except for
personal, private use. It may not be placed on any web site or otherwise
distributed publicly without advance written permission. Use of this
guide on any other web site or as a part of any public display is
strictly prohibited, and a violation of copyright.
All trademarks and copyrights contained in this document are owned by
their respective trademark and copyright holders.
Only www.gamefaqs.com may use this FAQ.
