SAMURAI SPIRITS: ZANKURO MUSOUKEN FAQ v1.5
aka "Samurai Shodown 3: Blades of Blood"
for the Neo*Geo (Arcade) and Sega Saturn (import)
Written by Chris MacDonald
Unpublished work Copyright 1996-2001 Chris MacDonald
This document is protected by US Copyright Law, and the Berne Copyright
Convention of 1976. It is for private and personal use only--it cannot
be reprinted in part or in whole, or reproduced in any way or in any
form (written or otherwise). It is a free document that cannot be used
in any sort of commercial transaction, including selling it or giving
it away as a gift. This FAQ cannot be referenced, altered, or used by
anybody (including webmasters, publishers, and magazine staff) without
my express written permission. This FAQ was created and is owned by
me, Chris MacDonald <kmegura (at) yahoo (dot) com>. It can be found
exclusively at (www.GameFAQs.com). All copyrights and trademarks are
acknowledged and respected that are not specifically mentioned herein.
I expressly forbid the following publishers/publications from using this
FAQ, namely: Ziff-Davis Video Game Group (publishers of Expert Gamer),
Future Publishing, Ltd. (publishers of PlayStation Power, Official UK
PlayStation Magazine, etc.), IDG Media, Game 13th Magazine, Brady Games,
and Prima Games. Remember, plagiarism is a crime and is punishable by
law.
Samurai Spirits: Zankuro Musouken is (c) SNK Corporation of Japan.
=================
TABLE OF CONTENTS
=================
1. HOW TO PLAY
- Controls and FAQ Notation
- Basic Commands
2. CHARACTER MOVELISTS
- Basara Kubikiri
- Gaira Kafuin (Caffeine)
- Galford
- Genjuro Kibagami
- Hanzo Hattori
- Haohmaru
- Kyoshiro Senryo
- Nakoruru
- Rimururu
- Shizumaru Hisame
- Tokisada Shiro Amakusa
- Ukyo Tachibana
- Zankuro Minazuki
3. GAMEPLAY NOTES
- Modes of Play
- Game Progression
- Desperation Round
- During the Battle
- Gameplay Glossary
4. MISCELLANEOUS
- Secrets and Tricks
- Options
- Endings
- Translations
5. AUTHOR'S NOTE
- Special Thanks
- Revision History
Hi, and welcome back. This FAQ was originally written for the Saturn
version of SS3, but since I have it and the arcade game, I've expanded
the FAQ a little to include both games (not like that's a far stretch
by any means). The only thing this really changes is that the Kick
button (which is 'D' in the arcades and 'Z' in the Sega Saturn version),
will be referred to as 'D' throughout the FAQ. Terminology wise, I've
tried to keep the general command and stuff in English, just so it makes
since, but move names are in Japanese, 'cause they're official ;) A
list of translations for all terminology in this FAQ can be found at
the end of the 'Miscellaneous' section.
BTW, you need a RAM cart to play this game (as far as I know, both the
SNK 1-meg and CAPCOM 4-meg versions work). The ROM cart (the kind that
came with The King of Fighters '95) won't work with this game. With
that out of the way, on with the FAQ!
------------------------------------------------------------------------
CONTROLS AND FAQ NOTATION
------------------------------------------------------------------------
ub u uf Jump Back Jump Up Jump Forward
\ | /
b -- n -- f Retreat / Guard Neutral Advance
/ | \
db d df Crouch Guard Crouch Offensive Crouch
All commands and moves listed in this FAQ are to be used when facing
right. If you are facing in the opposite direction (left), then reverse
all left/right motions.
qcf Roll the controller / joystick d,df,f
qcb Roll the controller / joystick b,db,b
hcf Roll the controller / joystick b,db,d,df,f
hcb Roll the controller / joystick f,df,d,db,b
AC / BZ Press A+C or B+Z at the same time
ABC / BCZ Press A+B+C or B+C+Z at the same time
AB / BC / CD Press A+B, B+C, or C+D at the same time
Slash You can use A, B, or C.
overhead The attack looks like it can be blocked low but in fact
must be blocked high.
Obviously the Basic Commands have Japanese names, but to prevent
confusion, I've just used the US names here and left the Japanese names
in the translation section near the end of the FAQ:
Standing Guard Hold b when attacked
Crouching Guard Hold db when attacked
Mid-Air Guard Hold b / db when attacked while in air
Stun Guard Guard an opponent's weapon attack
Backstep Tap b,b
Dash Tap f,f (hold f to run)
Slash Attacks Press A / B / C when armed
Unarmed Attacks Press A / B / C when unarmed
Unblockable Dash Attack While dashing or running, press C
Other Dashing Attacks While dashing or running, press A / B / D *
Standing Kick Press Z or b + Z
Crouching Kick Press d + Z or db + Z
Low Kick Press f + Z
Tripping Kick Press df + Z
Guard Destroyer... (see below for both types)
...Push Away Throw Press f + C (misses from afar)
...Push Across Throw Press b + C (misses from afar)
Spin Around Press AB when close (used to switch sides)
Attack Dodge Press AB (used to avoid attacks)
Surprise Attack Press BC (an overhead attack)
POW Gauge Charge Press and hold ABC until gauge is full
Roll and Get Up When knocked down, press b / f
Weapon Pick Up When near your weapon, press A / B / C.
Unarmed Weapon Catch When unarmed, input hcf to catch foe's weapon
Armed Weapon Catch When armed, input hcf to stop Slash attacks
Sword Clash Contest Attack each other at the same time or dash
into each other when both armed.
- The Sega Saturn instruction booklet lists 'b + Z' and 'db + Z' as
seperate kick attacks with their own special name, but in fact nobody
in the game has such a kick, and they all come out the same as a
standing or crouching kick. Of course, the booklet (and the arcade
game) also instruct you to input f + BC for an overhead attack, but
of course it's done simply by pressing BC. So go figure. ^_^;
========================================================================
2. CHARACTER MOVELISTS
========================================================================
Characters are listed alphabetically, in their default form (which is
"Shura" in the Sega Saturn or "Slash" in a US arcade game), and then
in their alternate form ("Rasetsu" for the Sega Saturn, "Bust" for the
US arcade version). The last move in every person's move list is their
POW Special, which requires a full POW Gauge to use.
Sora Sashi In air, qcf + Slash
Chisashi qcf + Slash
Kage Nui hcb + Slash
Kage Sui qcb + Z, move b / f
Tomobiki hcf + A (misses from afar)
Nue Dama b,df,d,db + C
Sashi Ashi In air, d + Z (can repeat)
Zugai Wari In air, db / df / f + Z
Sankaku Tobi Jump ub against a wall, then press uf
Kage Mai: Mukui hcf,b + AB
Weapon needed for: all moves but Kage Sui, Nue Dama, Sashi Ashi.
- The Nue Dama homes in on an opponent.
- You can move back or forward after the Sashi Ashi, allowing you to
use this move repeatedly.
Sora Sashi In air, qcf + Slash
Chisashi qcf + Slash
Kage Damashi f,b,f,b + any button
Kage Sui qcb + Z, move b / f
Tomobiki hcf + A (misses from afar)
Kage Ide f,db,d,df + Slash
Sashi Ashi In air, d + Z (can repeat)
Zugai Wari In air, db / df / f + Z
Sankaku Tobi Jump ub against a wall, then press uf
Kage Mai: Yumebiki hcf,b + BC
Weapon needed for: all moves but Kage Sui, Kage Damashi, Sashi Ashi.
- When you use the Kage Damashi, Basara sends a copy of himself
to jump forward (A), jump up (B), walk forward (C), or jump up
(D). You can attack while your copy is moving, except in the D
version, since you actually end up in the air (although you can
do a Sora Sashi or Sashi Ashi at this point).
Midare Uchi qcf + AB
Jishin Gan d,d + AB
Tsukamuzo~ Kumi Tenjou b,d,db + A
Tsukamuzo~ Ishi Atama b,d,db + B
Tsukamuzo~ Shiri Mekuri b,d,db + C
Kachi Age f,d,df + Slash
Katsu! qcb + A
Buchinomeshi In air, d + C
Hyakkan Otoshi In air, d + Z
Kenbu qcf,qcf + AB
- If the Jishin Gan misses, your opponent still stumbles forward.
You can use this to make your opponent stumble into the attack if
they're just out of range.
- The Tsukamuzo~ attacks are grapples that all hit in certain ways.
The Kumi Tenjou hits high, the Ishi Atama hits at standing height,
and the Shiri Mekuri hits low and must be crouch blocked.
Buchikoroshi qcf + Slash
Jishin Gan d,d + AB
Enshin Satsu~ Ten qcb,f + AB
Enshin Satsu~ Chi qcb,f + CZ
Katsu! qcb + A
Hyakkan Otoshi In air, d + Z
Kenbu qcf,qcf + AB
- The (A) Buchikoroshi only hits jumping opponents.
- If the Jishin Gan misses, your opponent still stumbles forward.
You can use this to make your opponent stumble into the attack if
they're just out of range.
- The Enshin Satsu~ moves are unblockable.
Plasma Blade qcf + Slash
Rolling Crush f,d,df + C
Shadow Copy f,hcf + A / B
Replica Attack hcb + AC / BZ
Imitate Replica Press AC or BZ when damaged
Rush Dog qcb + A
Machine Gun Dog qcb + B
Replica Dog qcb + C
Overhead Crush qcb + Z
Plasma Dog qcb,qcb + A
Stardust Drop When close, any dir. but ub~uf + C in air
Sankaku Tobi Jump ub against a wall, then press uf
Double Mega Strike Heads f,hcf + C / Z
Weapon needed for: none of the moves.
- The Shadow Copy produces two images of Galford that revolve around.
Only the real one (A for the left, B for the right) can be hit.
- The Replica Attack makes Galford drop from the sky. The AC version
makes him drop in front of an opponent, while the BZ version hits
from the behind. This also applies to the Imitate Replica.
- When the Double Mega Strike Heads is used, C makes the real Galford
fall from the front, while Z makes him fall from the behind. In
the Saturn version, if you've assigned this move to one button, then
it will always be the C version, although you can hold Forward and
press that button to make it come out as the D version.
Plasma Break qcf + Slash
Lightning Slash f,d,df + C
Shadow Copy f,hcf + A / B
Replica Attack hcb + AC / BZ
Imitate Replica Press AC or BZ when damaged
Strike Heads f,d,df + Z (misses from afar)
Dash Strike Heads f,d,df + Z while dashing
Plasma Factor Press f / df + AB
Stardust Drop When close, any dir. but ub~uf + C in air
Sankaku Tobi Jump ub against a wall, then press uf
Lightning Strike Three hcb,f + C
- The Plasma Break only travels about half as far as the Plasma Blade
(less than that if A or B is used).
- The Shadow Copy produces two images of Galford that revolve around.
Only the real one (A for the left, B for the right) can be hit.
- The Replica Attack makes Galford drop from the sky. The AC version
makes him drop in front of an opponent, while the BZ version hits
from the behind. This also applies to the Imitate Replica.
- The Strike Heads and Dash Strike Heads are unblockable.
Sanren Satsu qcf + Slash, Slash (perform 3 times)
Ouka Zan qcb + Slash
Touha Kouyoku Jin f,d,df + Slash
Kurenai f,df,d + Slash
Shizuku Jin b,d,db + C (misses from afar)
Gokou Zan f,hcf + AB
Weapon needed for: all of the moves.
- The Sanren Satsu is done by entering qcf + Slash three times. However,
you can add in an extra slash on the first and second hits only by
pressing Slash again. So when the entire combo is done, it looks like
this: (qcf + Slash, Slash, qcf + Slash, Slash, qcf + Slash).
- The Shizuku Jin is unblockable.
Ninpou Baku'en Ryuu: Kai qcb + Slash
Ninpou Reppuu Shuriken In air, qcf + Slash
Ninpou Kage Bunshin f,hcf + A / B
Ninpou Kage d,d + A
Ninpou Utsusemi Chizan hcf + BCZ
Ninpou Utsusemi Tenbu hcb + BCZ
Ninpou Migawari no Jutsu: Hotoke Press AC when damaged
Ninpou Migawari no Jutsu: Oni Press BZ when damaged
Ninpou Mozu Otoshi f,d,df + CZ (misses from afar)
Ninpou Mozu Otoshi Hayate f,d,df + CZ while dashing
Kuuten Geki Close, any dir. but ub~uf + C in air
Sankaku Tobi Jump ub against a wall, then press uf
Fuujite Mijin Gakure d,d,d + AB
Weapon needed for: none of the moves.
- The Baku'en Ryuu: Kai travels forward a short distance, then turns
around and comes back.
- The Kage Bunshin produces two images of Hanzo that revolve around.
Only the real one (A for the left, B for the right) can be hit.
- During the Ninpou Kage, Hanzo disappears for a brief moment and
cannot be hit.
- The Chizan is an overhead attack, while the Tenbu hits low. The
same applies to the Hotoke (overhead), and Oni (low blow) moves.
- The Ninpou Mozu Otoshi and N.M.O. Hayate are unblockable.
- When the Fuujite Mijin Gakure is performed (whether it hits or not),
Hanzo turns invisible. He can only be seen when he makes an attack
or performs a special move, or when he is hit. The invisibility
wears off pretty quickly.
Ninpou Baku'en Ryuu: Kai qcb + Slash
Ninpou Reppuu Shuriken In air, qcf + Slash
Ninpou Kage Bunshin f,hcf + A / B
Ninpou Kage: Shizune d,d + A
Ninpou Utsusemi Chizan hcf + BCZ
Ninpou Utsusemi Tenbu hcb + BCZ
Ninpou Enbu b,d,db + any button
Ninpou Baku'en Mijin Gakure f,d,df + CZ (misses from afar)
Stardust Drop When close, any dir. but ub~uf + C in air
Sankaku Tobi Jump ub against a wall, then press uf
Fuujite Dokuryuu hcb,f + CZ
Weapon needed for: Fuujite Dokuryuu.
- The Shizune works the same as the Ninpou Kage (see above).
- When the Ninpou Enbu is used, Hanzo disappears and reappears in a
certain location (this is the same no matter what side you're on)
The locations are: (A) in the air on the left side of the screen,
(B) on the ground on the left side of the screen (C) like A, but
on the right side, and (D) like B, but on the right side. In the
case of (A) or (C), you can follow up with an aerial attack or a
Ninpou Reppuu Shuriken.
- Hanzo becomes invisible after a successful Baku'en Mijin Gakure, but
only for a brief moment. This move is unblockable.
Ougi Senpuu Retsuzan qcf + Slash
Ougi Kogetsu Zan f,db,d,df + Slash
Ougi Resshin Zan b,d,db + Slash
Zankousen hcb + C
Ougi Hishou Senpuu Retsu Zan In air, qcf + Slash
Ougi Shippuu Kogetsu Zan f,db,d,df + Slash while dashing
Ougi Hishou Resshin Zan In air, qcb + C
Hiougi Tenha Fuujin Zan f,d,df,f,d,df + AB
Weapon needed for: all moves.
- The Resshin Zan and Hishou Resshin Zan are overhead attack. It's
possible to make a blocking opponent stumble back (and take no
damage), during the Resshin Zan, but I'm not quite sure how it
works.
Ougi Senpuu Retsu Zan: Setsu qcf + Slash
Ougi Kogetsu Zan f,db,d,df + Slash
Ougi Shippuu Kogetsu Zan f,db,d,df + Slash while dashing
Nagi Yaiba qcb,f + C
Gouha f,d,df + Z
Senpuu Ha qcf + Z
Gatotsu Press C after standing C hits
Hien Press C after crouching C hits
Hiougi Tenha Dankuu Retsu Zan f,hcf + CZ
Weapon needed for: all moves except Gouha.
- An opponent hit by the Senpuu Ha is stunned.
- The Nagi Yaiba is a counter-move; anyone getting too close or
performing an attack results in Haohmaru doing a mini Kogetsu Zan.
Note that he won't counter POW Specials.
- The Hien and Gatotsu are simply added attacks you can use after
connecting with a standing or crouching C slash. The timing is
a little awkward, though.
Lela Mutsube qcf + Slash
Annu Mutsube b,db,d + Slash, tap Slash rapidly
Kamui Rimse b,d,db + Slash
Lela O Chikiri f,d,df + Z (misses from afar)
Taka ni Tsukamaru qcb + Z (db~df + Z to get off)
Taka ni Tsukamari Kougeki Press Slash while riding Mamahaha
Kamui Mutsube qcf + C while riding Mamahaha
Rerashu hcb + A
Shichikap Etu hcb + B
Shichikap Am hcb + C
Kamui Fum Kesp In air, db / df / f + Z
Lela Kishima Tek When close, any dir. but ub~uf + C in air
Sankaku Tobi Jump ub against a wall, then press uf
Elerush Kamui Rimse hcb,hcb + AB
Weapon needed for: Lela Mutsube, Annu Mutsube.
- The Kamui Rimse can reflect projectiles. You can tap the buttons for
an added hit at the end (semi-hard to pull off).
- The Lela O Chikiri is unblockable.
- The Annu Mutsube must be blocked low.
- You can use the Taka ni Tsukamaru to grab onto Mamahaha. Once this
is done, you can move in any direction, and press D to drop down.
- The Rerashu makes Mamahaha throw a whirlwind at your opponent. They
take damage when the whirlwind hits, and when they land, although
you can always approach them and attack them before they fall for
some damage of your own (though they won't take the fall damage).
- This also applies to the Chichikap Am (hitting them before they
fall).
- The Shichikap Etu stuns an opponent, allowing you to hit them before
they recover.
Lela Mutsube qcf + Slash
Annu Mutsube b,db,d + Slash, tap Slash rapidly
Kamui Rimse b,d,db + Slash
Lela O Chikiri f,d,df + Z (misses from afar)
Epunkine Shikite Press AC when knocked to the ground
Ookami ni Matagaru qcb + Z (Z or b / f + Z to get off)
Ookami Nori Kougeki Press S while riding Shikuruu
Kanto Shikite qcf + C while riding Shikuruu
Mer Shikite b,db,d + C while riding Shikuruu
Bunri Kougeki b~u~f + C from Kanto / Mer Shikite
Imeru Shikite In air, f,d,df + C while riding Shikuruu
Kamui Fum Kesp In air, db / df / f + Z
Lela Kishima Tek When close, any dir. but ub~uf + C in air
Sankaku Tobi Jump ub against a wall, then press uf
Nubeki Kamui Shikite hcf,d,df + BC
Weapon needed for: Lela Mutsube, Annu Mutsube, Nubeki Kamui Shikite.
- The Kamui Rimse can reflect projectiles. You can tap the buttons for
an added hit at the end (semi-hard to pull off).
- The Lela O Chikiri is unblockable.
- The Annu Mutsube must be blocked low.
- The Ookami ni Matagaru is used to get on Shikuruu. When riding him
you can move back or forward, and jump in any direction. To get
off him, press D.
- The Nubeki Kamui Shitike takes longer to come out if you're not
riding Shikuruu, since Nakoruru has to be on him in order to attack.
- Yes the wolf's name really is 'Shikuruu', that's straight from SNK
of Japan's page (even I didn't know the proper spellling 'till I
checked). You can interpret that as 'Silkloo' or however you'd
like.
Rupush Qual qcf + Slash
Rupush Tek Num (Chiu) hcb + B (misses from afar)
Konru Nonno f,d,df + A
Konru Mem b,db,d + A
Konru Shiral In air, f,df,d + A
Kamui Shituki qcb,f + C
Sankaku Tobi Jump ub against a wall, then press uf
Rupush Kamui Emush hcb,hcb + CZ
Weapon needed for: none of the moves.
- The button used for the Rupush Qual determines the arc and distance
of the iceball thrown by Rimururu.
- The Rupush Tek Num is an unblockable attack.
- An opponent hit by the Konru Mem becomes stunned momentarily.
- When the Konru Shiral is used, Rimururu remains upon it until she
leaps away, or until a certain amount of time has passed. In either
case, the ice will then break and fall, and anyone standing beneath
takes minor damage. You can hit them before they fall, but then
they'll take your attack damage and not the damage from landing.
- The Kamui Shituki can reflect projectiles.
Rupush Qual qcf + Slash
Rupush Tek Num (Yaku) hcb + Z (misses from afar)
Rupush Tum Press f / df + AB
Konru Mem b,db,d + A
Konru Shiral In air, f,df,d + A
Upun Op Tap S rapidly
Sankaku Tobi Jump ub against a wall, then press uf
Rupush Kamui Emush hcb,hcb + CZ
Weapon needed for: none of the moves.
- When you don't have your weapon, the f + AB Rupush Tum will not
hit above Rimururu.
- When the Konru Shiral is used, Rimururu remains upon it until she
leaps away, or until a certain amount of time has passed. In either
case, the ice will then break and fall, and anyone standing beneath
takes minor damage. You can hit them before they fall, but then
they'll take your attack damage and not the damage from landing.
- The Kirisame Jin: Gouu can hit on the way towards, or on the way
back if it misses at first.
- The Hisame Gaeshi can reflect projectiles. It will also knock an
opponent down, but it does no damage.
Hitou-ryuu Kirisame Jin qcf + Slash
Hitou-ryuu Baiu Ensatsu Jin f,db,d,df + Slash
Hitou-ryuu Amanagare Kyouraku Zan b,d,db + Slash
Hitou-ryuu Kosame In air, u + C, move b / f
Hitou-ryuu Shigure In air, d + C (can repeat)
Hitou-ryuu Fuujite Amanagare Ressatsu Jin f,hcf + AB
Weapon needed for: all of the moves.
- The Kirisame Jin can only hit while it's flying towards your foe.
- When the Kosame is used, Shizumaru floats in the air and can be
directed back or forward. You can interrupt this move with the
Shigure, then immediately perform the Kosame again if you want.
- You can move back or forward after the Shigure, allowing you to
use this move repeatedly.
Shiryou Ha qcf + Slash
Nanji, Anten Nyuumetsu Seyo f,hcf + C (then wait or press Slash)
Chuushi Press Z during Anten Nyuumetsu Seyo
Kairetsu Shou f,df,d + C
Shouki Dan b,db,b + A
Oumagatoki (Mae) hcf + Z
Oumagatoki (Ushiro) hcb + Z
Tenshou Fuu'ou Jin b,f,b,f + Slash
Sankaku Tobi Jump ub against a wall, then press uf
Kyoumei Jussatsu Jin b,f,d,df + BC
Weapon needed for: all moves except Kairetsu Shou.
- An opponent hit by the Shouki Dan is stunned. However, it will not
re-stun a stunned enemy.
- The Oumagatoki moves are teleports to move back or forward.
- The button used for the Tenshou Fuu'ou Jin determines where
Amakusa's weapon appears.
Meifu Mashou Dan qcf + Slash
Nanji, Anten Nyuumetsu Seyo f,hcf + C (then wait or press Slash)
Chuushi Press Z during Anten Nyuumetsu Seyo
Kairetsu Shou f,df,d + C
Shouki Dan b,db,b + A
Oumagatoki (Mae) hcf + Z
Oumagatoki (Ushiro) hcb + Z
Kouma Shourai Ha b,f,b,f + Slash
Sankaku Tobi Jump ub against a wall, then press uf
Kyoumei Jussatsu Jin b,f,d,df + BC
Weapon needed for: all moves except Kairetsu Shou.
- An opponent hit by the Shouki Dan is stunned. However, it will not
re-stun a stunned enemy.
- The Oumagatoki moves are teleports to move back or forward.
- The Kouma Shourai Ha must be blocked low. The button used determines
how far forward it travels.
Hiken Oboro Gatana qcf + Slash
Hiken Sasameyuki qcb + Slash
Hi-ken Sasameyuki qcb + Z
Hiken Tsubame Gaeshi In air, db,qcf + Slash
Hiken Amatsu Kaze hcb + C, then press A
Hiken Shimo Kaze hcb + C, then press B
Tsubame Rokuren hcb,f + BC
Weapon needed for: all moves except Hi-ken Sasameyuki.
- The Hi-ken Sasameyuki is a fake-out attack.
- If you do nothing after inputting hcb + C for either 'Kaze' move,
Ukyo will perform the Amatsu Kaze finisher. Delaying the move will
not increase the damage or anything like that.
Hiken Kagerou f,d,df + Slash
Hiken Sasameyuki: Sen qcb + Slash
Hiken Tsubame Gaeshi In air, db,qcf + Slash
Hiken Yume Gasumi df,qcb,f + C
Hibari b,f + A
Musou Zankou Ka f,b,f + CZ
Weapon needed for: all moves.
- If the Hiken Sasameyuki: Sen hits once, all the rest of the hits
will connect.
- The Yume Gasumi is a counter-move. Any attack that hits Ukyo as he
is posing results in Ukyo counter-attacking for considerable damage.
- The Hibari will stun a hit opponent.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
ZANKURO MINAZUKI [ SHURA or RASETSU / SLASH or BUST ]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mugen-ryuu Shippuu Zan qcf + Slash
Mugen-ryuu Mugen Hou qcb,f + Slash
Mugen-ryuu Tenpou Zan f,d,df + Slash
Mugen-ryuu Ittou Zan b,db,d + AB
Mugen-ryuu Muhou Ken b,f + A
Mugen-ryuu Fudou hcf + D
Mugen-ryuu Tenchuu In air, d + C
Ougi Musou Shingeki Zan d,d,qcf + AB
Weapon needed for: all moves except Muhou Ken.
- There are no differences between Slash and Bust Zankuro, aside from
the color of your clothing. Lame? You betcha.
- The Ittou Zan only hits if an opponent is close enough. However, it
can be blocked.
- The Fudou is a counter move; if an opponent attacks the green flame
that appears, Zankuro attacks back. However, the timing is very
difficult to get right.
- The stomp during the start of the Shingeki Zan makes your enemy
stumble, forcing them to get hit by the second attack (unless they
were in air when you did this move).
------------------------------------------------------------------------
MODES OF PLAY
------------------------------------------------------------------------
After starting the game and picking your character, you have to pick
between the Shura (Slash) or Rasetsu (Bust) version of your character
(the default is Shura). The primary difference between the modes of
play is that you have different special moves, or else different
versions of special moves. Each mode type also has two colors,
selectable by pressing A or C (so each character has four colors total).
Afterwords, you have to choose your level of experience, ranging from
Kensei (aka Upper Grade), Kengou (aka Medium Grade), or Kenkaku (aka
Beginner Grade). There are several differences between each grade.
- In Upper Grade, you always have a full POW Gauge, meaning that you
always do increased damage, and can use your POW Special whenever
you want. However, you cannot block at all (this means you have to
rely on the AB dodge and hcf weapon catches to avoid getting hit).
- In Medium Grade, gameplay is normal (you get no auto-guards or full
POW Gauge, but you can still block and your POW Gauge charges up
at the normal speed).
- In Beginner Grade, you get five auto-guards (the computer will
perform a standing, crouching, or jumping guard for you as long as
you aren't doing anything else, like attacking). Although the
Sega Saturn manual claims you get five auto-guards for each stage,
in fact (in both the Saturn and arcade version), you get them for
the first round of the first stage you're on, and they're totally
gone afterwards for the rest of the game. As a further hinderance,
it takes twice as long for you to charge up your POW Gauge using
the ABC method, yet that's the only method you can use (you don't
earn power by taking damage).
Obviously, if you're playing the Sega Saturn version, it's not really
necessary to pick Upper Grade, as you can just go into the options and
set your POW Gauge power to max from there.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
GAME PROGRESSION
------------------------------------------------------------------------
There are eleven stages you have to fight through before reaching the
last boss, Zankuro. After the fourth and eleventh round, you get to
see an intermission sequence. On the sixth round, you'll be pitted
against the referee from previous SS games, Kuroko (this is mispelled
as Kyrokou in the arcade version). However, he'll simply morph into
your character once the round starts, always picking the opposite
alignment of your character (so if you're using Bust (Shura) Galford,
he switches into Slash (Rasetsu) Galford). What's weird about
fighting Kuroko is that if you end up in the 'desperation round', it
won't switch back even when someone has won.
After beating Zankuro in your twelfth battle, he'll return to fight you
in a final, one-round battle. In addition, he returns with full power
(and if you haven't set the POW Gauge to POW in the Options Menu,
then he charges up for his intro pose). If you beat him this time
around, the game ends, but if you lose, it's back to the Continue
Screen. Even worse, if you "win" by time out, you still lose! The
only way to beat Zankuro is to actually kill him.
If you're on the third round of a stage, and both characters have
flashing red Life Gauges, the music will stop and the background will
change. This is simply a reminder that both characters are close to
death, and they better start playing carefully if they want to win.
This also occurs if you're on your fourth and final round (see above),
in which case both characters start with full POW Gauges and have
the normal amount of time on the clock (unless you've set the time
to infinite). Every stage has a desperation background except Zankuro's
stage (unless you cound the final battle between a player and CPU
Zankuro).
------------------------------------------------------------------------
DURING THE BATTLE
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Before each round starts, you can move backward or forward and position
yourself wherever you'd like (although you can't do anything else). To
beat the game, you must kill your opponent in the best 2 out of three
rounds. If there is a draw game on the third round (time runs out and
both players have the same amount of life) or a double fatality (both
players kill each other at the same time), then a fourth and final round
is held to determine the winner. If that round is a draw, the game ends
for both players.
During an actual round of play, items will periodically land on the
floor. The ones you want are the pieces of chicken, which you can walk
over to restore lost life (the bigger the piece, the more life you get
back). The ones you want to avoid are the bombs, which explode a
moment after they land. Blocking a bomb when armed does no damage,
but your guard will be broken momentarily. If you don't have your
weapon, you'll take damage as well. If you don't block a bomb, you
take damage and stumble back (this applies whether you have your
weapon equipped or not). Bombs tend to be aimed at the person who's
been staying in the same place the longest (e.g. turtlers). Both
characters can be hit at the same time by a bomb, so be careful.
This section offers more info. on the basic commands available to every
character. Everything in here is listed alphabetically:
ATTACK DODGE
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Attack Dodge can only be used when you're too far away to Spin
Around. In that case, your character will simply lean into the
background for a moment, and any attacks that would have hit him or
her pass right through.
COUNTER HITS
------------------------------------------------------------------------
SS3 has a counter gauge that shows up when you get a counter hit.
Counter hits occur when you hit an opponent who is in the middle
of an attack, or has just begun or finished an attack. If your
attack counterhits, you get a percentage reading, telling you how
much additional damage was done. For example, if it red 150%, and
your attack did 20 pixels of damage normally (impossible to count, but
this is just an example), then it would have done 30 pixels of damage
total, or 50% more damage than usual.
DASHING ATTACKS
------------------------------------------------------------------------
All characters can press A, B, C, or Z while dashing or running, and
they'll perform a special dashing attack. Each attack varies depending
on the character, with the exception of a dashing C slash, which is
always a slow-to-start but unblockable attack. Dashing Z kicks tend
to be low attacks that must be blocked crouching, but this is not
always the case (Basara's isn't, and in fact, Gaira's is an overhead
attack!) Some characters have overhead attacks as well (like Gaira's
dashing A), while others have low hitting attacks (like Genjuro's
dashing B or Z). Below is a list of what dashing attacks each
character has that actually look different from normal slashes):
NAME BUTTONS USED NAME BUTTONS USED
---------------------------------------------------------
Basara A B C D Nakoruru B C D
Gaira A B C D Rimururu C D
Galford B C D Shizumaru A C D
Genjuro A B C D Amakusa B C D
Hanzo B C D Ukyo B C D
Haohmaru A B C D Zankuro C D
Kyoshiro A B C D
For the unlisted buttons, the attack comes out the same as a normal
standing attack and (usually) has the same effect in terms of damage
done, etc.
DIZZIES
------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you take enough hits, you will become dizzy. You can always tell
when someone will be dizzied, because they are knocked down by the
attack very quickly. Afterwards, they get up and clutch themselves
in pain. Dizzies last for a few moments, and you can do nothing to
defend yourself from additional attack. However, you can mash on the
buttons rapidly in an attempt to break out of the dizzy faster. Note
that a dizzied opponent cannot be hit by a Guard Destroying Throw and
will instead simply pop upright.
GUARD DESTROYING THROWS
------------------------------------------------------------------------
New to SS3 are guard-destroying throws. These attacks are unblockable,
but miss unless done close to your opponent. Instead of simply
throwing your opponent for damage, they are instead pushed away or
across you for no damage, but they can be hit by an attack while
recovering. The b + C version is especially useful for getting
defensive players out of corners. You can also use these to set your
opponent up for a free POW Special attack (see the POW Special section
for details).
GUARDING AGAINST ATTACKS
------------------------------------------------------------------------
You take no damage when guarding against normal attacks or a bomb, and
reduced damage when blocking special moves or a POW Special. If you've
lost your weapon, then guarding weapon attacks does minor damage,
although the damage you take from special moves and POW Specials
remains the same. In addition, when unarmed, bombs do minor damage
when blocked.
KICK ATTACKS
------------------------------------------------------------------------
All Kick attacks have been relegated to one button, the D button.
However, you can perform various kick attacks, by either kicking
while standing, crouching, holding down-foward, or by holding forward.
In addition, you also get a special kick attack when you dash (usually
this is the dashing down-foward version, but not always). The
properties of kicks change for most characters, but in general:
- Standing D kicks act as overhead attacks and hit crouch-blockers.
- Crouching D kicks hit low and and must be blocked crouching.
- f + D kicks hit low and must be blocked crouching.
- df + D kicks work like f + D kicks, but knock an opponent down.
As I said, this is in general. Amakusa's standing D is an overhead,
but Haohmaru's is not. It all depends on the character.
LOSING YOUR WEAPON
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Weapons can be lost in three ways. One is if you are hit by a POW
Special. Another is if you lose a Weapon Clash and have it flung
away. Rarer still is if your unarmed opponent catches your weapon,
in which case it is deposited near where you were before you were
kicked away.
Without your weapon, there may be some special moves you cannot use
(depending on your character), and this includes your POW Special.
You also take block damage from normal weapon attacks and bombs.
To get your weapon back, simply get near it and press any button.
POW GAUGE (aka the Anger Gauge)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The POW Gauge is located at the bottom of the screen. It fills up
when you are damaged (except for bomb attacks). Another way to fill
it up is to press and hold ABC, although this takes a while and you
can't defend or attack while charging. Once the POW Gauge is totally
full, it will go on fire, and your character will begin to flash white.
Now your character does more damage with each hit, and since their
gauge is full, they can perform their POW Special (like Gaira's Kenbu).
The gauge empties after a while, or if you attempt a POW Special, and
it hits. The gauge tends to stay full longer if you fill it up by
taking damage, whereas it empties faster if you filled it up using the
ABC method.
There are two other ways to get a maxed out POW Gauge. One of them
is to simply play in Upper Grade mode or set your POW to MAX in the
Options Menu. The other is to take enough damage so that your Life
Gauge flashes red. When that happens, the POW Gauge fills up and
stays maxed out until the end of the round, giving you an infinite
number of uses of your POW Special, not to mention a higher damage
capability. Obviously if you eat enough meat to restore your Life
Gauge to normal, your POW Gauge will return to normal as well. You
cannot carry POW Gauge power over from round to round (unlike previous
Samurai Shodown games). For some reason, on the Saturn version, the
POW Gauge will stay full forever (or for a very long time) after being
maxed out by taking damage. This tends to happen in the Versus Mode
more often. It is, as far as I can tell, a bug in the game's
programming and nothing more.
POW GAUGE CHARGE
------------------------------------------------------------------------
When used, your character stands in place and trembles as they gather
up their POW energy to fill out their POW Gauge. There's no drawback
to building POW this way, although you are vulnerable to attack while
charging.
POW SPECIALS (Weapon-Flipping Techniques)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
When these moves hit, they knock an opponent's weapon out of their
hands. POW Specials can only be used when you have a full POW Gauge,
and unless your life is flashing or you have your POW set to MAX, the
Gauge will empty if the POW Special hits successfully. A cheap way
to connect a POW Special is to do it after an AB Spin Around or a
Guard Destroying Throw, but only certain POW Specials come out fast
away to be abused...er 'used' in this manner ^_^;
ROLL AND GET UP
------------------------------------------------------------------------
When knocked to the floor, you can hold back or forward to roll in
that direction before rising to your feet. You cannot be attacked
by rolling, but it's possible to accidentally roll into someone's
attack and get hit by it before it finishes.
SPIN AROUND
------------------------------------------------------------------------
When you are standing next to an opponent and press AB, your character
will spin around to their backside instantly. This can be used to
avoid attacks, but more importantly, it gives you a brief moment to
attack before your challenger turns around to face you. A cheap way
to take advanage of the Spin Around is to do your POW Special the
moment you're on the other side, although this requires that you enter
the command in the proper way (i.e. backwards), and not all characters'
POW Specials are fast enough to connect (see the chart under the POW
Specials section).
STUN GUARD
------------------------------------------------------------------------
In previous SS games, doing this was simply a matter of blocking as
late as possible. In SS3, Stun Guard always occurs when you block
an attack, but it really has no effect on gameplay unless you block
a "big" attack, like Haohmaru's standing C. While he is momentarily
stunned from the blocked hit, you'll have ample time to counterhit
with an attack.
SURPRISE ATTACKS
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Everyone can perform a Surprise Attack by pressing BC, even when
they're unarmed. What will happen is that they leap into the air
and perform an attack that must be blocked standing (it's an overhead
attack).
WEAPON CATCH (ARMED / UNARMED)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
There are two types of Weapon Catch moves, even though they are both
done by inputting hcf (no button is needed). When that command is
entered, your character poses for a second, and if hit, they will
respond. If they're armed, they'll simply stop your attack and
slash back for damage, but if they're unarmed, they'll grab you and
kick you away, also forcing your weapons out of your hand. You cannot
use the Weapon Catch on an unarmed opponent. Note, too, that timing
either Weapon Catch is very hard to do, and to make matters worse,
if hit successfully while posing, you take counterhit damage.
WEAPON CLASHES (SWORD CLASH CONTEST)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Weapon clashes occur when you and your opponent make an attack with your
weapons at the same time and are close enough, or randomly when both
armed characters dash into each other. When this happens, both players
will collide together and try to overpower each other with their
weapons. You can change the outcome of the weapon clash by rapidly
tapping any button. The possible results include:
- One person loses their weapon (usually the person who didn't get
enough button taps in loses their weapon).
- Both characters lose their weapon.
- Both characters get knocked back but keep their weapons.
- The character who keeps his weapon is able to make a Slash or Kick
attack as they leap back.
Unlike the previous SS games, wiggling the joystick / control pad has
no effect on the outcome of a weapon clash. Also, trying to 'force' a
weapon clash by dashing into a dashing opponent is not always
effective, as you may just run up to each other, or run through each
other, depending.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
SECRETS AND TRICKS
------------------------------------------------------------------------
PLAY WITH ZANKURO (ARCADE VERSION)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
You can only use Zankuro in a 2-Player game. The Character Select
screen should look like this (if it doesn't, you're playing the wrong
game!) ;P
Now, with the cursor on Haohmaru, move all the way left to Basara, down
to Kyoshiro, right to Nakoruru, up to Haohmaru, right to Shizumaru,
down to Rimururu, right to Amakusa, up to Gaira, then left to Shizumaru
again. This sort of looks like a funky infinity symbol, or you can
just look at it as going counter-clockwise around the character
selection screen, but pausing in the middle to go up, over, and down
again.
Anyway, you should now be on Shizumaru. The trick to doing this is that
you have to input the code with at least 3 seconds remaining on the
timer. If you arrive at Shizumaru with more time than that, just wait
until the timer says '03', then press Start + ABC at the same time.
Voila!
PLAY WITH ZANKURO IN VS. MODE (SEGA SATURN VERSION)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Simply beat the game. He's now selectable in Vs. mode by pressing left
when you're highlighting Basara or right on Amakusa.
INFINITE STUN TRICK (SEGA SATURN VERSION)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Play a Shura Amakusa vs. Shura Galford game. Get in the right-hand
corner and try to time it so that Galford will jump and land on top of
you while you start the Kyomei Jussatsu Jin. If your timing is correct,
Galford will be 'frozen' in one of his dizzy animation frames. You can
push him by moving against him, but he'll remain stunned until the time
runs out or until you hit him with an attack or special move. If you
use the Shouki Dan on him, he'll become dizzy, but instantly recover.
This is very hard to do, (I've done it three times now) but if you have
the time, it's fun to see.
PROMOTIONAL TRACKS FOR THE SAMURAI SPIRITS RPG (SEGA SATURN VERSION)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
These tracks showed up on the Neo CD version of Samurai Shodown III, but
they've been added to the Saturn version, too. So far, there is no
known way to hear them during the game, but if you have a CD player
handy (like your Saturn, ahem?), then check out tracks 32-35 (on a
normal CD player) to hear Nakoruru and Rimururu tell you all about the
Samurai Shodown RPG. It's all in Japanese, of course.
THE SAMURAI SPIRITS SONG
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pop your CD into a normal CD player and listen to track 31 (32 if you're
using the Saturn as a CD player). It's a catchy tune sung in Japanese.
You can also hear this song if you beat the game with Rimururu (doesn't
matter if you die or not). To the person who sent me this info., I'm
sorry, I lost your e-mail. However, you do get full credit for this,
and if you wouldn't mind contacting me again, I'll include you in the
FAQ :)
This sections explains the various options in the Option Screen.
LEVEL The difficulty level. Choose from 1 BEGINNER to
8 HARDEST.
ATTACK The amount of damage inflicted by attacks. Choose
from 0% (attacks inflict no damage) to MAX (attacks
kill with one hit).
TIME Choose from 30, 60, 99, or infinite-time rounds.
POW Choose from NORMAL (fill it yourself) or MAX (the POW
Gauge is always full). This setting applies to both
you and your opponent.
PAD SET Allows you to choose your own button configuration.
EDIT allows you to set up the controller the way
you like.
STAGE SELECT At first, this option isn't available, but every time
you beat a stage, it is selectable via this option.
Once you've beaten the game, you can even choose to
see any character's ending.*
AUDIO Choose from MONO or STEREO.
* If you choose to start off at the final round against Zankuro, and
lose, you'll have to go back and fight the first two rounds against
him should you continue. The only way to prevent this is to stop
playing and start a new game after choosing to start at the final
round again. Every time you don't continue or reset the game, this
option also resets, so you'll have to set it each time.
Everyone has similar endings; some text scrolls up over a unique ending
picture. There's not much to mention about these, but here's a list of
each person's picture:
BASARA: A candle; the smoke coming from it forms the vague image
of Basara's lover (the same woman who appears in his
winning stances).
GAIRA: His necklace of prayer beads and Nicotine's ringed staff.
GALFORD: A puppy wrapped in a blanket (probably a young Poppy or
one of Poppy's litter).
GENJURO: A long pipe and some Hanafuda cards (Hanafuda is a card
game; Genjuro's attacks use such cards in them).
HANZO: Two shuriken (throwing stars).
HAOHMARU: His katana (slightly unsheathed), and a jug of sake.
KYOSHIRO: A folding fan with a checkered print in the middle.
NAKORURU: An eagle's feather.
RIMURURU: A snowflake and some drops of water.
AMAKUSA: A book with flapping pages and a human skull.
HISAME: His umbrella.
UKYO: An apple and a flower (maybe the demon flower he was
searching for in SS1 and SS2?)
Watching the credits is actually pretty fun, as little cards with
drawings on them (not to mention some SS2 characters) will fly around.
All translations were done by me and so may be subject to error. When
possible, the Japanese name is on the right and the English name is on
the left, but in case of particularly long spellings or translations,
I use J: to denote the Japnaese name, and E: for the English one. Not
that you couldn't tell ^_^; The translations are not in any particular
order, primarily since I shifted a few of them around to with the
confines of 73 spaces per line.
Midare Uchi Riot Strike
Jishin Gan Earthquake Radius
Kachi Age Victory Raiser
Katsu! "Scold!"
Hyakkan Otoshi Hundred-weight Drop
Buchinomeshi "to beat someone up"
Buchikoroshi "to kill by hitting"
Enshin Satsu~ Ten Center of Circle "Killing--~" Heaven
Enshin Satsu~ Chi Center of Circle "Killing--!" Earth
Tsukamuzo~ Kumi Tenjou "Grappling--!" Winding Ceiling
Tsukamuzo~ Ishi Atama "Grappling--!" Stone Head
Tsukamuzo~ Shiri Mekuri "Grappling--!" Butt Check
Kenbu Punch Dance
Taka ni Tsukamaru Hawk Capture
Taki ni Tsukamari Kougeki Captured Hawk Attack
Ookami ni Matagaru Sit on a Wolf
Ookami Nori Kougeki Wolf-Riding Attack
Bunri Kougeki Seperation Attack
------------------------------------------------------------------------
SPECIAL THANKS
------------------------------------------------------------------------
This FAQ was only possible due to the help of the following people:
Sylphia's Homepage <www.asahi-net.or.jp/~wt3y-ntt/slf/amakusal.html>
- For the names of the air throws and Basara and Nakoruru's air kicks.
SNK of Japan <www.neogeo.co.jp/samurai/rekisi/rekitop.html>
- For some info on SS3's fighting system.
CGN - Next Generation Import Specialists
- Although now defunct, they sure were a good company when they were
around.
Vic
- For answering some questions about this game before I bought it.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
REVISION HISTORY
------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.5 - (March 20, 2000) Another total rewrite; moves have been
retranslated, more info has been added throughout, etc. Some
extra stuff has been removed (like Ukyo's win quote and Galford's
ending), while some stuff has been added as well. And you thought
I was done at v1.3, huh? :)
1.4 - The FAQ has been almost completely rewritten.
1.3 - Minor corrections. Probably the last revision of this FAQ.
1.2 - Added Nakoruru's extra cape attack. This FAQ is now found at
www.gamefaqs.com.
1.1 - Fixed motions for Genjuro's Shizuku Jin and Haohmaru's two sword
sweeps. Included the Amakusa/Galford bug, and Galford's winning
quote and ending message. Also included Ukyo's winning quote and
the SS3 song.
1.0 - Complete list of moves for each character; basic gameplay info.,
code to play as Zankuro.
Any questions, comments, etc.? Then write to me at kmegura at yahoo
dot com.
That's all!
Unpublished work Copyright 1996-2001 Chris MacDonald
