-------------------------------------------------------
_____ ) ___
(, / | /) (__/_____) ,
/---| _ (/ / __ ___ _ _____
) / |_/_)_/ )_ / / (__(_// (_/_)_(_) / (_
(_/ (______)
Ash Crimson Character FAQ
for The King of Fighters 2003
Version 1.0
by Leonard Noir (
[email protected])
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~(Table of Contents)~
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I. Version History
II. Battle System
III. Background/Why you should or shouldn't use Ash
IV. Move List
V. Normal/Command Moves Analysis
VI. Special Moves Analysis
VII. Desperation Move/Leader Desperation Move Analysis
VIII. Combos
IX. Credits/Miscellaneous
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I. Version History
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v1.0: First version. Everything added.
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II. Battle system
-------------------------------------------------------
This FAQ uses the standard "u, d, l, r, qcf," etc. no-
tation, because I personally cannot stand the numerical
notation. I believe that one should stick to 3D games.
*Joystick movements*
u: Up
uf: Up-forward
f: Forward
df: Down-forward
d: Down
db: Down-backward
b: Backward
ub: Up-backward
qcf: Quarter-circle forward
qcb: Quarter-circle backward
hcf: Half-circle forward
hcb: Half-circle backward
(b): Hold backward for about a second (b can be substi-
tuted for other directions
360: Rotate stick 360 degrees
*Button notations*
A: "A" button (light punch)
B: "B" button (light kick)
C: "C" button (heavy punch)
D: "D" button (heavy kick)
S: "Start" button (taunt)
ABC: Press buttons at once (ABC can be replaced with any
two, three, or four buttons)
Comma: Push buttons in sequence (for example, "A, B, C"
means "push A, then B, and then C.")
Plus sign: Push buttons together (for example, f + A
means "push the joystick forward and press A at the same
time.")
--------------------------------------------------------
*Commands*
(Commands with 0 super meter cost)
f, f: Run forward (continue holding f to keep running)
b, b: Hop backwards
tap u, uf, or ub: Short Jump
hold u, uf, or ub: Jump
uf while running: Dash Jump
b: Block enemy attack (only when opponent is attacking,
blocked special moves and DMs still do slight amounts of
damage, called "chip damage"; cannot block low attacks
with standing block)
db: Crouching block (same as above, but can block low
attacks and not overhead attacks)
f+C or b+C when close: Throw (move that hits opponent
even when they are blocking)
f+D or b+D when close: Backward Throw (same as Throw,
but positions are reversed, so the opponent will end
up behind where you were standing.)
f+C, f+D, b+C, b+D when being thrown: Escape Throw
(you will break out of the throw and take no damage;
you must use the same command that your foe used to
throw you)
AB: Emergency Evasion (your character rolls or slides
forward leaving a shadow trail; you are invulnerable
to all but throws during this time)
b+AB: Backward Emergency Evasion (same as above, but
rolls/slides backwards)
AB immediately after hitting the ground: Recovery
(you will get up much quicker than normal, however,
some moves will not allow you to use Recovery)
BC: First Character Tag (your current character will
taunt, and will then jump off of the screen and be re-
placed by the first available character in the lineup;
can only be done when "Change OK" is flashing above
super meter
CD: Second Character Tag (same as above, but switches
to second character)
Command Moves and Special Moves unique to each char-
acter
(Commands with 1 super meter cost)
AB or b+AB while blocking: Roll Cancel (you will per-
form an Emergency Evasion immediately after blocking
to escape attack)
CD while blocking: Counter Cancel (knocks away attack-
ing opponent after blocking)
qcf+BC or qcf+CD: Tag Attack (your character performs
an attack, then quickly switches out to the character
corresponding with the two buttons you pressed and
does a jumping attack; this sets up for the new char-
acter to do a combo)
Desperation moves unique to each character
(commands with 2 super meter cost)
Super cancel (certain special moves are cancellable
into Desperation moves, doing this consumes two
meters)
Leader Desperation Moves unique to each character
-----------------------------------------------------
*The Leader System*
Each team is composed of three characters. One char-
acter is chosen to be the Leader of the team; this
character is designated by their blue life bar. Lead-
ers are stronger than normal, and also have the cap-
ability to perform Leader Desperation Moves (LDMs).
-------------------------------------------------------
III. Background/Why you should or shouldn't use Ash
-------------------------------------------------------
*Background*
Name : Ash Crimson
Fighting Style : Own style (uses special flames)
Birthdate : February 14
Nationality : Unknown (grew up in France)
Blood Group : O
Height : 178 cm
Weight : 59 kg
Likes : Nail Art
Fav. Food : Sachertorte (sweets)
Strong Sports : None (because sports are a
bother)
Impt Things : His Fingernails
Hated Things : Bothersome and uninteresting
things
*Team Story*
Shanghai
7 a.m.
The streets are already bustling with activity while
the steam and aromas from open-air shops and stands
ascend into the sky.
It is amply bright outside, but the sun has not
completely risen; dark shadows dance on the ground in
between the shops of the marketplace.
Alone, a behemoth of a man stands out from the throng.
"Nuts. That Ash. Calling me here at this time of the
morning."
Dressed in his usual ultra-casual style, a jacket
slipped over his bare torso, anyone passing along the
street would recognize him. In Shanghai he is the man
called "Shen Woo." Shen means "god" and Woo the
Chinese word for "battle." Naturally, this isn't his
real name.
"Ah, ha, ha, ha. You're here. Shen, long time no see!
So, where is a place that will feed us some delicious
crabs? You must know, right Shen?"
"Ash...who'd eat crab at this ungodly morning hour?!"
"Lighten up there, pal. Then how about a little dim sum
before Duo Lon gets here?"
The young Caucasian with platinum hair gathered up in a
katyusha is Ash Crimson.
Alabaster skinned with blue eyes. Freckles still remain
on his cheeks positioned over the edges of a mouth
contorted into an impertinent smirk.
You could call him a handsome lad or not, but it is
certain that he is enveloped in a strange sort of
magnetism that garners glances. His body is slight but
sinewy.
"Crab, this early in the morning..."
Thrusting forward through the crowd, Ash finds Shanghai
crabs dumped into a wooden crate, wriggling gloriously
in the display window of a shop.
"Look, look. They look spunky. Your buying, right?"
"Who's buying? Give it a rest. And in the first place,
do you even eat crab? Tourists from Europe tend to shy
away from our local delicacy, you know?"
"I love crab. And after you hear what I got to tell you,
I think you'll gladly foot the bill."
Ash's mischievous expression is reflected in the window
of the shop.
"One guy said the clown who ate Shanghai crab for the
first time was extremely courageous...or just amazingly
intelligent. It's the truth, Ash. So what's your
important story?"
And then: the reflection of the figure of another tall
man appears in the glass of the show window which would
be difficult to be called polished.
"......"
Ash and Shen, without looking back, continue pretending
to keep judging the quality of the crabs.
Shen clicks his tongue slightly. Although distracted by
the conversation, being snuck up on so easily...?
"Ah, ha, ha, Duo Lon. It's been awhile. How have you
been? How about we talk somewhere out of the way while we
fill our bellies?"
"This place looks good."
Even the fresh air of morning becomes cold and gloomy
around this guy.
The figure of the tall man, dressed in a costume
luxuriously embroidered, appears from the pallid shadows
between the buildings. Duo Lon. All but the age of a
young man, he is actually a member of the "Flying
Brigands," a group of assassins who reside in the back
regions of China.
He is laconic with a presence that naturally
overwhelms people, and bears a sad countenance.
"Ta-dah! Can you believe it? This came to me in the
mail."
What Ash produces is an envelope sealed archaically with
wax.
THE KING OF FIGHTERS.
The world's largest tournament of varying fighting styles.
Both Shen and Duo Lon are aware of this.
And they both know it is a team event of teams consisting
of three fighters each.
Annually some sort of crisis accompanies it; in other
words, an event with attitude.
"I won't pull any punches. I want to join this thing. So,
I'm hoping you'll feel the same. How about it? Will you
enter with me?"
"Sounds like fun. OK, I'm in! I've always wanted to be in
KOF, at least once. I'll go anywhere where strong opponents
can be found."
"That's the ol' pepper, Shen. Happy to hear it. How about
you, Duo Lon?"
"...Yeah, OK."
"Ah, ha, ha, ha. Then it's all decided!"
"As a matter of fact, the application of we three has
already been made. It would have been a real bummer if
either of you had refused to accompany me."
"Say what? You already entered us? ...Ah, whatever. I'm
pumped up for this!"
"...What are you scheming? Huh, Ash?"
"Oh, come, come, Duo Lon. It's nothing of any consequence."
"And if I had said I wouldn't do it...What would you have
done?"
"...Hmm. What would I have done?"
Grinning like the Cheshire cat, Ash laces the invitation
between the fingers of his left hand and plays with it.
Supple fingers are they, which look like they have nothing
to do with combat. And his nails are adorned with nail art.
From the four corners of the invitation interlaced in Ash's
fingers burst emerald flames.
The entire invitation is swiftly consumed by flames, but
the vigor of the flame does not abate and a pillar of flame
bursts from Ash's left hand.
A spiral of wind breaks out at his feet, blowing up Ash's
platinum blond hair, and the flames burn even higher and
stronger. He laughs. At the depths of his innocent and
capricious giggle an inscrutable something
certainly squirms. A few passers-by notice the green pillar
of flame but are dumbstruck with astonishment.
Ash shakes his left hand dramatically outward.
The emerald flames jump from his arm. Drawing a gentle arc
that slips between Shen and Duo Lon in an instant, it
brushes by the face of a girl passing nearby and then
disappears.
The draft blows the girl's hair. Promptly thereafter at her
side, the thing that was a bee a second before falls to the
earth motionless, burnt to a crisp, in a pile of white ash.
"That was close, young lady. Ah, ha, ha."
"Uh, th-thank...you."
"Il n'y a pas de quoi."
Ash replies with an exaggeratedly old-fashioned bow.
"OK, playtime is over. To make things worse I'm totally
whacked from being called out so early in the morning."
"I love mornings in the spring. They say, 'The season is
spring. The time of day is morning. The time of morning is
seven.'"
"Who says that?"
"Hmph. For someone raised in France, you have strange
tastes."
Duo Lon breaks out in a rare wry smile. Although he feigns
a cool, adult air, his youth is given away when he laughs.
Ash continues.
"As God makes evident in the sky. All in the world is
nothing.
Well, that's it. Take it easy. Just take it easy. Ah, ha,
ha."
ASH CRIMSON
DUO LON
SHEN WOO
Their participation in the tournament had already been
confirmed by the KOF Management Organization three days
ago.
*Why you should or shouldn't use Ash*
Ash is a character you're bound to either love or hate.
You can either hate his guts, or appreciate him for being
such an interesting design. I fall under the latter cate-
gory. I find his design to be rather unique and good, but
I know that several others are going to find him a stupid
design, and accuse him of being gay because of the way he
dresses, even though he does not exhibit signs of being
gay. So, if you like his character, good; otherwise, oh
well.
Gameplay-wise, Ash almost screams "Guile/Charlie/Remy
rip!" at first glance. Indeed, he has a charge back
projectile and a charge down anti-air kick. However, I
usually find myself going on an offensive more with Ash
than I do Guile or Charlie in their games. Ash has some
powerful moves and combos, but is not very versatile.
Also, some of his combos are a bit difficult to do
successfully. However, with an array of abusable pro-
jectiles and the ability to perform one DM right after
another in one combo, Ash is truly a force to be reckoned
with.
Pros:
+Strong moves
+Projectiles that can go through other projectiles
+Very damaging combos
Cons:
-Difficult learning curve for combos
-Not very versatile
---------------------------------------------------------
IV. Movelist
---------------------------------------------------------
_______________________________________________________
/ Command Moves \
|-------------------------------------------------------|
| Messidor : f+A |
| Floréal : b+B |
| Prairial : b+D |
|-------------------------------------------------------|
| Special Moves |
|-------------------------------------------------------|
| Ventôse : (b), f+A/C |
| Nivôse* : (d), u+B/D |
| Vendémiaire* : hcf+A/C |
|-------------------------------------------------------|
| Desperation Moves |
|-------------------------------------------------------|
| Pluviôse : qcf, qcf+B/D |
| Thermidor : qcf, qcf+A/C |
|-------------------------------------------------------|
| Leader Desperation Moves |
|-------------------------------------------------------|
| Sans-Culotte : A, B, C, D |
|-------------------------------------------------------|
\_______________________________________________________/
*move is Super-Cancellable
---------------------------------------------------------
V. Normal/Command Moves Analysis
---------------------------------------------------------
Standing A
Ash does a quick jab with the arm closest to his foe.
Has a bit of a high recovery time for an A attack. Not
much else to say.
Rating: (***--)
Standing B
Ash leans back and does a quick side kick with the leg
closest to his foe. Not really that much to say about
this move.
Rating: (**---)
Standing C
Ash uses his front arm to make a knife-handed stab at the
enemy. I use this one quite a bit, as I find it to be a
effective poke.
Rating: (****-)
Standing D
Ash does a shuffling sideways kick. Does good damage and
higher range than C, but also comes out slower.
Rating: (***1/2--)
Close A
Ash does a quick elbow jab to his foe's chin. Comes out
quick, good to cancel into Floréal or possibly
Vendémiaire. You can cancel this move into Messidor to
hit a crouching opponent without the delay.
Rating: (***--)
Close B
Ash does a somewhat goofy-looking kick with his back
leg. Like Close A, cancellable into Floréal, Vendémiaire
and Messidor. I tend to prefer this one over Close A for
combos.
Rating: (***--)
Close C
Ash does a hook punch with his front arm. Actually comes
out slightly faster than Close A, but because it knocks
back, its combo-ability is limited to Floréal. One of
Ash's better command moves.
Rating: (****-)
Close D
Ash knees his opponent in the gut. Comes out slightly
slower than his other close attacks, and is comboable
into Floréal.
Rating: (***--)
Crouching A
Ash does a very quick jab. Though it is very quick and
has very little recovery time, it lacks the combo-
ability of crouching B.
Rating: (**---)
Crouching B
Ash slides his foot outward to do a kick to his enemy's
feet. This move is stupidly easy to cancel into Nivôse,
and comes out very quickly. One of Ash's integral moves.
I can't see why you wouldn't use this one.
Rating: (*****)
Crouching C
Ash performs an uppercut. Try not to overuse this one,
as it's a little slow. You can actually combo this move
into the A version of Ventôse, but I never use it.
Rating: (***--)
Crouching D
Ash leans back on his hand and does a sweep with his
back leg. It's quite fast for a sweep, although the
range leaves a little to be desired. Use this one for
punishment.
Rating: (****-)
Jumping A
Ash extends his arm downward. Lame.
Rating: (*----)
Jumping B
Ash kicks upward in the air. Good for other opponents
in the air, but otherwise also lame.
Rating: (**---)
Jumping C
Ash swings horizontally. VERY quick, much more useful
than jumping A.
Rating: (****-)
Jumping D
Ash swings his foot downward for a kick. Good for jump-
in combos.
Rating: (****-)
Messidor (f+A)
Ash delays for a substantial amount of time, then does
a downward punch while saying something. Is an overhead
attack. VERY stupid to use by itself because of the
almost sickening startup time. Comboing into it, though,
removes the delay.
Rating: (**---)
Floréal (b+B)
Ash spins forward while delivering a kick. This can be
comboed from any of Ash's close moves, and can be cancel-
ed into Pluviôse with the correct timing. If you have
trouble cancelling it, make sure to wait until the
animation is finished, then *immediately* perform
Pluviôse.
Rating: (****-)
Prairial (b+D)
Ash spins backward with a kick. Basically the opposite
of Floréal, this move has no real combo-ablity. But
it can be used as an effective way to retreat quickly
while charging a Ventôse.
Rating: (**---)
---------------------------------------------------------
VI. Special Moves Analysis
---------------------------------------------------------
Ventôse ((b), f+A)
Ash swings his back arm in front of him, and throws a
crescent of green flame towards the opponent. If you do
not like the weird name, you can just call this a "Green
Sonic Boom," because that's what this move basically is.
It travels slowly, so with practice you can use this to
set up combos if the opponent blocks it high.
Rating: ***--)
Ventôse ((b), f+C)
The C version of Ventôse is so much different that I con-
sider it a different move. It's basically like Geese and
Rock Howard's Double Reppuken: Ash performs Ventôse, then
charges it with another one, forming an "X" shape. If the
opponent is close, the startup of this move will actually
hit the opponent for a two-hit combo. This version of it
also moves MUCH faster, so it is more useful for long-
range pressure. One of my favorite properties of this move,
however, is its ability to pass through one-hit project-
iles. If a move such as Iori's Yamibarai or Athena's
Psycho Ball touch a C Ventôse, one of the crescents will
dissipate, but the other will go on to hit the opponent!
This can be a very irritating move against those who
like spamming fireballs.
Rating: (****-)
Nivôse ((d), u+B/D)
Ash performs a flip while kicking upwards and throwing
green flames from his feet. Again, if you don't like the
name, "Green Flash Kick" works. Or better yet, try
"Shadow Cut Kick", a move used by Kyosuke Kagami in Rival
Schools and Capcom vs. SNK 2. Not only do they *look*
similar, but Ash's D Nivôse quote is the *exact* same as
Kyosuke's Shadow Cut Kick ("Osoi!" meaning "Too slow!").
Anyway, this is Ash's definitive anti-air, and it works
nicely. It also has good combo potential--it can easily
be comboed into from crouching B, and with fast enough
movements, can be Super-Cancelled into Pluviôse. The
B version is quicker but does not go as high as the D
version. The quotes for B and D versions are different
as well.
Rating: (*****)
Vendémiaire (hcf+A/C)
You must be in throw range to do this move, though I
don't actually consider it a throw. Ash does his close
A, close D, and crouching C in rapid succession. The
last hit launches the opponent straight upwards, so
much so that it just *screams* "follow this up with
Nivôse, dammit!" You could follow this up with Pluviôse,
but it won't hit each time, so I consider it a waste of
meter. You can also Super-Cancel this move, but I have
been unsuccessful in all of my attempts to produce a
combo that is worth the 2-meter cost of SCing out of
this move. Your best bet is to stick with a Nivôse
followup. Use the Vendémiaire to catch opponents off-
guard.
Rating: (***1/2--)
-------------------------------------------------------
VII. Desperation Move/Leader Desp. Move Analysis
-------------------------------------------------------
Pluviôse (qcf, qcf+B/D)
Ash says something that sounds cool, then performs 3
Nivôses in succession, the last one knocking the foe
away. This is Ash's main move, and the one you'll be
comboing into every time, since you can't really combo
*into* Thermidore. (You can damn sure *start* things
from it, though.)
Try to combo into this move from Floréal. The timing
is awkward, but you'll need to learn it. Also, this
can be Super-Cancelled from Nivôse, but make sure you
do so in a larger combo so as to not waste meter.
Rating: (****-)
Thermidore (qcf, qcf+A/C)
Ash spins his arms in front of him and then holds his
hands in a ball shape. He then forms a sphere of green
flame and sends it flying towards his opponent while
yelling something. This move looks and acts quite like
Kain's Hitmmlisch Hecht from Garou: Mark of the Wolves
or Venom's Dark Angel from Guilty Gear XX. It is a
slow-moving, multi-hit projectile that keeps moving
across the screen until it is off of the screen or
it hits 11 times.
If I'm not mistaken, there is not a projectile in the
game that can break through this one. The beauty of
this move is the combo possiblities it has. You see,
when this move hits, it hits multiple times as it
passes through the foe, and the opponent will stay in
place, whether it is blocked or unblocked, for about
a second. This gives you time to run up to your opponent
while they are being hit with the Thermidor and have
your way with them. If they didn't block, follow this
up with Pluviôse for a *very* nasty combo, or crouching
B, crouching B, Nivôse if you don't have any meter.
If they block high, hit with crouching B, and if they
block low, hit with Messidor. If you do this quickly
enough, the Thermidore will still damage them. Watch
out if they Roll Cancel from this move, however.
This could put you in a nasty situation.
Rating: (****1/2-)
Sans-Culotte (A, B, C, D) (Leader only)
Ash stands straight up, says something, then closes
his eyes. An explosion of green flames and wind en-
circles him, blowing his hair upward (as in the
KoF2k3 intro). The explosion can damage the opponent
if you are close enough. After Ash performs this move,
he will begin flashing gold for about eight seconds.
During this time, the need to charge Ash's Ventôse
and Nivôse is eliminated, meaning all you have to
do is tap back then forward and a punch for a Ventôse,
and tap down then up and a kick for a Nivôse. Can we
say "C Ventôse spam?" Of course, there are a lot more
effective uses for this move. I'm still experimenting
with the possiblilities of this move. Unless you have
practice with it, I would not recommend using this
move, and making someone like Iori leader. (His LDM
is F'ing GODLY...)
Rating: (Not rated yet)
-------------------------------------------------------
VII. Combos
-------------------------------------------------------
*combos requiring no super meter*
Close A (or Close B), Messidor
Close A (or Close B), Vendimiaire, Nivôse
Crouching C, Ventôse (A version)
Jumping D, Crouching B, Crouching B, Nivôse
*combos requiring one super meter*
Close A (or Close B, C, or D), Floréal, Pluviôse
Crouching B, Crouching B, Floréal, Pluviôse
Thermidore, (run up to enemy and perform a combo)
*combos requiring two super meters*
Crouching B, Crouching B, Nivôse, Pluviôse
Thermidore, (run up to enemy) Pluviôse
-------------------------------------------------------
IX. Credits/Miscellaneous
-------------------------------------------------------
*Suggestions*
If you have any suggestions for this FAQ, feel free to
e-mail them to me at (
[email protected]). But
make sure to put something such as "Ash Crimson FAQ" in
the subject line, or else I probably won't notice it.
Some things I'm looking for:
+More Combos
+Voice translations (I hate having to say "Ash says
something")
*Thanks*
SNK/Playmore, for making the KoF series. Also for the
story, which came from their official KoF2003 site.
http://www.kofonline.com/, for the move names.
Jeff Veasey and GameFAQs for hosting my FAQ.
*Copyright*
According to the law, you cannot post my FAQ on your
site without my permission. Only one site, GameFAQs.com,
currently has this permission. If you want permission,
e-mail me about it.
--------------------------------------------------------
(End of FAQ)
March 8, 2004
