Hokuto no Ken- Shin FAQ
Version 1.0
Author email- [email protected]

Recent Updates
==============
1.0- Its the first version, so...everything I guess?


Contents, baby
==============
I. Welcome!
II. General info on Shin
III. Basics of the game
IV. Standard attack descriptions/analysis
V. Special move description/analysis
VI. God and Deadly Fist Blow description/analysis (Supers and Instant kill)
VII. General tips and tricks
VIII. Credits


------------------------------------
I. Welcome!
------------------------------------

Hello there! Before we get started on the real stuff, I just wanted to make
a little introduction and/or explanation of why exactly I'm making this
FAQ. I recently imported HnK due to a combined love of the anime and the
Guilty Gear series. I figured, hey, Hokuto no Ken characters with a Guilty
Gear-esque play system? Sounds worth an import to me. After having a
little trouble getting my sea legs with the game, I thought I'd pop onto
Gamefaqs to see if there were any decent guides or even some mild
pointers. Much to my dismay, there were none outside of a History Mode
FAQ. Therefore, after some deliberation, I decided I would make the first
character guide and dedicate it to the usage of Shin! It should be noted
that I am by no means incredibly or professionally skilled, however this
is just a fun little guide for anyone who wants to learn a little more
about using Shin, or even the game in general. Hopefully you, the most
treasured reader, find it in some way beneficial. Now then, off we go! Oh,
also. I hate using numbers to denote fireball motions and stuff. So I'll be
using other abbreviations instead. More on that later.




--------------------------------------------
II. General Info on Shin and Nanto Koshu Ken
--------------------------------------------

Ok, so you may be wondering, who the hell is Shin, anyway? What's his deal?
Why does he have that flowing blonde hair? Well, I can tell you most of
this, except for the hair. I have no real clue about that. It was the '80s
I guess. Sadly, there isn't near as much pure statistical information on
HnK characters as one usually has for a fighting game. But hey, let's give
it a shot.

Name: Shin
Nicknames/Aliases: "King", "Jun-sei" (Martyr's star)
Fighting Style: Nanto Koshu Ken (South Star Lone Eagle Fist)
Honestly that's about all the stats I can find. Anything else would be much
appreciated. Now for other info.


Brief bio
=========
Shin is the first major antagonist in both the Hokuto no Ken manga and
anime. He stole the hero Kenshiro's love, Yuria, away from him after
dealing him a rather intense beating. He called himself "King", built up a
large army, and constructed the city of Southern Cross (Sazanclos in the
version I watched) all in order to make Yuria love him. When first
introduced, Shin appears to be the sole successor of Nanto Seiken (Sacred
Fist of the South Star), which is later revealed to be far from the truth.
He seems to have taught several of his soldiers and minions some degree of
Nanto Seiken, which they all later expanded on in their own useless ways.
Though he starts out as a simple, cold hearted villain, Shin is later seen
by both the viewer and Kenshiro as having died for the woman he loves
(Yuria). He stole her from Kenshiro so that he could keep her safe, as he
believed that Kenshiro did not have the ambition and desire to protect
her(guess he was right there). He  was supposedly one of Kenshiro's closest
friends, and he is remembered by Ken as such. Shin's tragic story and love
for Yuria are some of the things that make him so badass and such a cool
villain, at least in my opinion. Oh, and Kenshiro killed him by using
"Hokuto Juji Zan" (Hokuto Cross Kill). Then he jumped off a building cuz
he's crazy cool like that. (err...Shin jumped off the building, not
Kenshiro) Also, in regards to his star, all Nanto masters have a designated
star in the Nanto constellation. Shin's is the martyr/death star because he
died for Yuria. Neat, huh? You can find info on the other masters on your
own.


Nanto Koshu Ken
===============
Ok, the following information is directly taken from the Nanto Seiken
article on wikipedia, because I like how it's worded there, and I don't
think I could put it as eloquently. Here we go.

"Shin's style. Nanto Koshu Ken (?????, South Dipper Lone Eagle Fist) is an
orthodox style of Nanto Seiken. It focuses on stabbing and thrusting
attacks, seemingly being most useful at a close range. The style also seems
to use flying kicks, as seen during a flashback in both the manga and
anime, and as the Nanto Gokuto Ken/Nanto Gokusatsu Ken Ougi (special
technique). This branch of the Nanto Seiken was originally unnamed in the
original manga and anime. The designation Nanto Koshu Ken was first used in
the 1986 publication Hokuto no Ken Special: All About the Man and has been
used in every official Hokuto no Ken source since then. Shin mentions its
name for the first time on-screenin the 2007 OVA Yuria Den."

Ok, there it is, very efficient and straightforward Nanto style that
focuses and stabbing and tearing. Shin makes stuff messy. After all, in
some filler episode he does a flying kick THROUGH a man. That's pretty
awesome if you ask me.


Costume Colors
===============
Shin's coloring changes depending on which button you press when selecting
him. Here's a key so you know which to pick!
P- Default color scheme. White outfit, red shoulderpads, gold trim. Blonde
hair. Pretty cool.
K- Blue outfit, light brown hair, reddish shoulder pads. I don't much care
for this one.
HP- White outfit, golden shoulder pads, blue trim. Blonde hair. This is my
personal favorite outfit, and I usually pick it.
HK- Really different. Golden outfit, purple shoulder pads, black trim. Dark
skinned and black haired. I don't really care for it, but you might dig it.
R1- Nice one here. Black outfit, golden trim and shoulder pads. Blonde hair
and reddish skin. It's cool, admit it.
Start- Same as default.

Why Shin?
=========
Now everyone, you must be wondering. "But why? Why use Shin? I like Raoh
better!" Well, there are some reasons for using Shin. I will explain them
now. First of all, I just really like Shin. He was one of my favorite
villains in the anime, has a cool personality, and ended up being a cool,
tragic character. I find his version of the Nanto style to be one of the
coolest, and it is stopped from being THE coolest in my opinion simply
because Nanto Suichoken (Rei's style) is so badass. Gameplay wise, he's got
some nice specials and supers, a real good instant kill, and he's a heavy
character. Here's a list of pros and cons.

Pros- Does nice damage, some cool combos, can take hits, not at risk of
guard crush, good instant kill, one of two heavy characters
Cons- Is still mid-tier overall, some attacks simply take too long to hit,
can be tricky to learn, one of two heavy characters


---------------------------------
III. Basics of the Game
---------------------------------
Right, next I'll discuss some of the basic terms and systems of the game.
I may miss a few simply because I can't read the Japanese manual, so once
again, any information is greatly appreciated. There aren't very many
special systems in place here, so this won't be a very long section.

Dashing
=======
If you press forward twice, Shin will glide forward quickly. Close the gap
quickly. Blah blah. Onward.

Hop Back
========
Hey, did you know if you press back twice Shin will take a hop backwards?
Oh, you did? Cool. You need to be careful with these little retreats,
because they'll often leave you wide open to an ass kicking. I still
probably hop around too much though.

Guard
=====
You block by holding back on the d-pad or analog. I hate analog for 2d
fighters, so I stick to d-pad. But whatever. Block high and mid attacks by
holding back while standing, block low attacks by holding down+back.
Simple, right? I suggest you get good at this. Some people these days still
don't realize how to defend themselves. You should note that HnK works on
an interesting guard system that's affected by "weight class". Lighter
characters will have a guard meter against heavier characters, and
characters of the same weight class will also have guard meters. Shin is
one of two heavy characters (the other being Mr. Heart) so you'll always
have the advantage of being able to break the enemy's guard, and never
really be at risk of having yours broken. But then, why Shin is heavy and
Raoh isn't is beyond me.

Attacks and their Strength!
===========================
There are four basic attack buttons in HnK. Two punches and two kicks. The
normal punches and kicks are quicker, but usually lack somewhat in power
and range, while the heavy versions are usually stronger, longer reaching,
and a bit slower. Here's how you do em.

Square= Light Punch [P]
X= Light Kick [K]
Circle= Heavy Kick [HK]
Triangle= Heavy Punch [HP]

There isn't too much to that. I'll explain Shin's attacks in depth later.


Throwing
========
Throws are a basic component to any fighting game, and here they're rather
simple in their basic form. If you're close enough to the enemy, simply
press towards or away from them and press HP. You'll perform an unblockable
throw for very minor damage. Shin's throw is rather brutal looking. He
slams the enemy down and then lays into them with a fury of stabs for very
little damage. There are also other throws, and you'll read about those
later.


Vital Stars
===========
See those little squares that kinda make the Big Dipper underneath your
life bar? Those're vital stars. If you lose all seven, your death star
lights up and the enemy can Fatal KO you. You lose Vital Stars for various
things. Usually it's from a Banishing Strike, a special move, or a God Fist
Blow. I believe counterattacks and other such things might remove them as
well. You gain one star back at the start of each round, and if you're
bested by a Fatal KO you'll get all 7 stars back at the start of the next
round in the match. I'm fairly sure there are other ways to regain stars,
but I'm not sure what they are. Again, info needed.

Fatal KO
========
Anyone who's played a game in the Guilty Gear series should be familiar
with these. One-shot, sure killing techniques if they hit. Usually very
flashy and fun to pull off. However, they were virtually useless in Guilty
Gear, as you had to initiate an "Instant Kill Mode", which drained Tension
and then Health, and also alerted the enemy to your coming move, so they
could just turtle til you killed yourself or returned to normal. You also
couldn't combo into them, making it even harder to land one (though
successfully hitting somebody with Sol's Napalm Death is very, very
satisfying). In HnK the Fatal KO returns, but in a far more potent form.
The "Deadly Fist Blow" mode is "activated" by depleting all of your enemy's
vital stars. See the above paragraph for info on that. Once you've done
that, you can launch your Finishing Move at any time you want. Like Guilty
Gear's Instant Kills, they're easy to see coming, and usually hard to land
on their own. However, you can combo into them in Hnk, making them
incredibly badass. Be careful with them though, as failing to land your
Fatal move rewards the enemy with another Vital star, and you'll have to
get rid of it before you try again. More info on Shin's Fatal KO later.

Boost
========
Use the boost to get through! Boost is really quite important. You can
monitor how much of it you have by glancing at the small, segmented meter
at the bottom of the screen. It says boost above it, go figure. By pressing
R1, your character can rush forward much faster than he/she would be able
to simply by running. Boost also serves as a means of guarding without
having your guard meter depleted (however, since Shin is heavy you don't
need to worry about that). The greatness of the boost is that it allows you
to make some crazy rushes in order to keep your enemy bouncing off the
wall, in the air, and otherwise hurting where a normal dash or jump simply
wouldn't be enough. Any other uses are beyond me, but they could exist, so
information is once again appreciated.

"Two-button" attacks
=====================
This is my general term used for various, semi-special attacks that each
character has. There's a throw, a move that knocks the enemy into the air,
an unblockable attack, and the Banishing Strike. Each character's two
button attacks do these same basic things. I'm pretty sure they all remove
vital stars.

Unblockable attack- P+K  Can't be blocked, takes a second to charge. Stuns
enemy for a moment.

"Dust" attack- HP+P  Knocks the enemy into the sky. Press up immediately to
chase them. Execute a combo.

Throw- K+HK  An alternative to the usual throw method. It uh...throws the
enemy.

Banishing Strike- HP+HK Knocks the enemy backwards and allows for some
serious combo potential.


"God Fist Blows"
================
Your super moves/super arts/overdrives/interchangable term from any
fighting game ever. Use them when you can to attack weak points for massive
damage. They're fun, trust me. As far as I know you can stock up to two
bars full, enabling you to use a max of two in a row. The meters fill up
simply by attacking, getting hit, defending...fighting in general. There's
no real secret to it. Info on Shin's in later sections.

Taunt
======
Press R2. Your character will taunt the enemy. Varies from character to
character. Shin's involves him sticking his leg out, perching it on a small
pillar, and taunting the enemy in Japanese. It's long, and will leave you
very open. Therefore I love using it, because what point is there to
winning if you don't win with style and finesse? Err...you may want to use
it sparingly. Oh! Successfully taunting the enemy gives them 1 bar of Super
and 1 bar of Boost. Gives them a little help, eh?

---------------------------------------------
IV. Standard Attack Description/Analysis
---------------------------------------------

Next up is our presentation and analysis of Shin's standard punches and
kicks. I'll divide it into a few subsections.

Standing, distanced
===================
P- A quick (for Shin, anyway) finger knife jab forwards. Not much range.
Has it's place, though. *Variant: Pressing forward while punching will make
Shin swipe in front of him with his hand. Stronger than his standard heavy
punch, but pretty slow, so it's a mixed bag in my opinion. Variant punch
will knock the enemy down.

K- Shin does a quick, almost halfhearted low kick. Pretty basic. *Variant:
If you press forward while pressing kick, Shin will perform a thrusting,
sidekick move at the enemy's knee area. Slower, but way stronger. Also, the
variant hits low, so you should have some success slipping it through
defenses. Variant also works as a sweep and knocks the enemy over.

HP- Shin sort've whirls and swipes with both hands. Has real nice range,
hits twice if you're close enough, and does some alright damage. A bit
laggy though, so be careful.

HK- Shin swings his back leg forward, looking to take the enemy's legs out.
High kicks really aren't Shin's bag. This move is nice because it hits low,
so the enemy(especially a human) might have a bit of trouble blocking it.
I dig it.

Standing, up close'n'personal
=============================
P- Shin jabs at the enemy's torso. Better damage than the distanced jab,
and its range is inconsequential since yer close anyway. Real nice for
getting some quick hits when yer inside the enemy. Forward variant still
works the same.

K- Shin raises his foot and kicks at the enemy's groin area. He really
doesn't like high kicks at all. Works just fine up close for quick hits,
and forward variant still applies.

HP- Shin bends a little and thrusts his fingers into the enemy's knee or
thigh area depending on height. I like this alot after a few quick jabs,
and right before a lower kick. Nice damage and such.

HK- A high kick!? No way! Way. Shin lifts up his leg, gives the enemy a
knee, and then extends his foot for a nice face kick. Hits twice, does
decent damage, but might put a little too much distance between you and the
enemy. I like punches and low attacks up close more. The second hit won't
happen if you press circle again too quickly.

Crouching
=========
P- Shin extends an elbow and strikes with it. Pitifully pitiful range, I
say. I don't know if I ever really use it over low kicks, but has it's
place and time.

K- Shin kicks at the enemy's feet with his front foot. Nice range, good
during a quick attack flurry for a change up you can combo from. I like
these a lot.

HP- Shin strikes at the enemy's groin/stomach area with a stabbing attack.
Looks kind've like a snake when he does this. It's a nice move.

HK- Rear leg extends and sweeps the enemy. Really nice outside of the
slight recovery it has if blocked. If it hits the enemy pops into the air,
leaving them wide open for a few certain attacks. :D

Flying in the sky (Jumping)
===========================
P- Stabs downwards with his hand. Really only useful to add hits during
mid-air combos.

K- Kicks out at an almost horizontal angle. Alright for coming in from
above, adding a hit during mid-air combos, or for comboing into Gokuto Ken.

HP- A real nice swiping attack. Makes me think of Rei due to the stance. A
nice midair attack, but it's laggy and is kind've hard to do much after.

HK- A favorite for jump in attacks. Shin kicks downwards at an angle.
Excellent range and good power. Combo into Gokuto Ken from it for fine
results. Just don't spam the jump in, or you'll get hurt.



--------------------------------------
V. Special Move Description/Analysis
--------------------------------------

Now then, Shin's special moves are an interesting and somewhat mixed bag.
I won't be using the standard number notations for move motions, but I'll
explain what I mean.

QCF= Quarter circle forward. Hadouken. If you don't know what that means,
I'm very sorry.
QCB= Quarter circle back. Tatsumaki Senpuu Kyaku (Hurricane Kick). Simple.
DP= I'll use this to refer to the shoryuken or dragon punch motion, which
is forward, down, down+forward.
HCF= Half circle forward. Press back and slide your thumb down-back, down,
down-forward, forward. I hate these.
HCB= Half circle back. Same logic as half circle forward, but reversed.
Punch and Kick abbreviations remain as they were before.


Sliding Kick (not sure what the real name is)
=============================================

QCB+K

Shin will crouch low, turn backwards, and slide forwards with his leg
extended. It's an ok move, the damage is good, but it's slow and the
recovery time if blocked is even worse. You'll really get punished if you
spam this. However, it does hit low, travels about half a screen length,
and can sometimes catch enemies off guard and sweep them. It doesn't remove
any vital stars. Throw one in now and then if you think you can land it.



Nanto Gokuto Ken ("South Dipper Hell Slaughter Fist")
=====================================================

DP+K -OR- HK

One of Shin's staple moves in the anime, and one of his most useful in
this game. He used it to defeat Kenshiro, you know. It's actually pretty
basic, as Shin just flies at an angle upwards/outwards, and kicks the enemy
for good damage. HK goes more out than up, and knocks the enemy into the
sky. K goes much more vertical, hits multiple times midair, and sends the
enemy flying backwards. This move is nice, man. It's great as a combo
ender, and works very well after a low HK. If it's blocked, you float for a
little, leaving yourself open, but you can usually manage to block, so it's
worth the risk anyway. If comboing midair, don't even bother with HK, it
pretty much always misses. Also, only removes vital stars if it hits in
midair, and it might have to be part of a combo. Go for K and a nice 4-5
hits.



Nanto Hiryu Ken -or- Psycho Laughter Rush
=========================================

QCF+HP

You know Terry Bogard's Burn Knuckle in Fatal Fury or King of Fighters?
This is basically it with a few differences. Also, I don't know if this IS
Hiryu Ken, but it sure does look like it. If you do the motion again at any
time during the rush, Shin will switch direction and basically warp back to
his starting position and slash everything on the way. This move actually
does pretty crappy damage, but the return slice is a nice bonus, does ok
damage, removes a vital star, and is the real reason for doing the move at
all, I say. Learn how to do it properly. This move is a nice way to close
some distance, remove a few vital stars, and deal a little bit of damage.
Plus, Shin laughing like a maniac is a great bonus. Don't count on it to
win the day, though.



Nanto Hakuhazan (?)
====================

QCB+HP

Know somethin? I like this move. Shin slices upwards with almost no range,
but it still manages to be a very useful attack. It has several interesting
features. The damage is the best of all his specials, I believe, and it
will usually stun an opponent for a moment. It will also sometimes knock
the enemy into the air, where they await a Gokuto Ken or worse. Another
awesome attribute is that it can be used to knock some projectiles back at
their user. Just don't try that when Raoh shoots his fire beams at you.
Also removes 1 vital star. I also have no clue what this move's real name
is. It just sounds like he says "Hakuhazan" so I went with it. Any info
would be great.


Screaming Eagle Flips
=====================

QCF+HK or QCB+HK

First off, these aren't even attacks. They're neat little flips that Shin
can do to close the gap or to put some distance between himself and the
foe. QCF goes forward, QCB goes back, go figure, eh? Back is a bigger,
somewhat safer retreat than the hop back, and forward can lead into a
decent attack opportunity. I've dubbed them thusly because there's an eagle
sound every time you perform one of these flips. Neat.



Grab 'n Stab
=============

HCB+P

It's a command throw, and I don't know the real name. Shin lifts the enemy
up and stabs them with his finger, making some blood burst out, then tosses
em away. It's got damage rivaling the Hakuhazan, and removes a vital star.
I, however, dislike half-circle motions and don't usually find throws all
that helpful with my playstyle. However, if you get close to a turtling enemy,
give it a try, and you'll probably score a nice hit. Useful if
you're good with it.




---------------------------------------------------------------------------
VI. God and Deadly Fist Blow description/analysis (Supers and Instant kill)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Time for super moves. Follow the previous move descriptions for things,
eh?


Nanto Raishisho
===============

QCF, QCF+HP

I think Shin is a fan of Terry Bogard. It's the Power Geyser in Nanto
form. Shin raises his arm, powers up a tad, jams his hand into the floor,
and creates a massive surge of energy that erupts diagonally in front of
him. Hits 8 times, does pretty good damage, and makes for decent anti-air
or a combo add-on. Just be careful with it, because sometimes enemies can
reach through it and hit you without taking much damage. Still nice though.


Nanto Senshu Ryugeki("South Dipper Thousand Dragon Head Attacks")
=================================================================
QCB, QCB+HP

This is currently my favorite of Shin's supers. He gathers a purple aura,
then launches himself forward and strikes numerous  times at the enemy. You
can either release it immediately or hold HP to charge it up. The fully
charged version hits 18 times and takes about half a life bar away. The
uncharged hits 7 times and does good damage. Intermediate charging does
intermediate hits and damage. One nice thing is that Shin stops his rush
whenever he reaches the enemy's position, so you won't typically go flying
past, and if they jump they'll probably land in the middle of your attack.
The number of hits and the damage they deal is also very good for wearing
down the guard gauge, and a fully charged version will almost always break
guard. Just an overall good move.


I will not be slain by Hokuto!!
===============================
HCF, HCB+P

Ok, that isn't this move's real name, and this isn't even an attack. It's
a suicide technique! Therefore you should never be trying to do this move
unless you wanna deprive your enemy of a victory and you have no real
chance. It's neat to watch at least. Shin turns his back, clutches his
chest, and walks away slowly, then jumps and plummets to his death. It's a
reference to his fight with Kenshiro, y'see. Also, I believe you have to
have lost all your vital stars and have 1 super bar in order to perform
this.


Nanto Koshuken Ougi (Fatal KO)
==============================
QCF+HK+HP

Shin's Instant Kill/Fatal KO/Deadly Fist Blow. Shin performs a 100%
vertical version of the Gokuto Ken, and if that hits, his henchmen appear
and hold the enemy down. Shin then stabs them 7 times with his fingers,
mimicking what he did to Kenshiro to make his infamous scar. Then the enemy
dies and you win. It's pretty easy to combo into, as any juggle should
leave the enemy open for this. Can also be used as anti-air, but it might
have lower priority, I'm not entirely sure. It CAN be blocked, but if it is
recovery time isn't so bad, so you can keep fighting without much worry. It
gets tons of extra cool points just for being an awesome Fatal KO.


-----------------------------
VII. General Tips and Tricks
-----------------------------

I don't have many, but here are some little tidbits I've found useful when
playing as Shin.

-Make good use of mixing up high and low attacks. Attacking only one part
of the body is easy to defend against.
-Use the low HK and Gokuto Ken to your advantage. Finishing most ground
combos with these 2 attacks can result in a flustered enemy and nice
additional damage.
-Don't be afraid to charge up Senshu Ryugeki. While it may be tempting to
just launch it right away, you'll often have much better results if you
wait a bit and power up. You'll either break a turtling enemy's guard or
catch an impatient enemy during their attempts at offense and hit them
really hard.
-Never spam any of Shin's special moves repeatedly. This is a very
dangerous practice. Most of the specials can be pretty punishable if
they're blocked or miss, and they're all fairly easy to see coming. Mix it
up, use them all, and keep the enemy on his or her toes.
-Be careful with strong attacks. Shin may be a strong guy, but some of his
basic moves can take a while to hit...that is, they take a bit to fully
"come out" and strike. The forward variants are prime examples of this.
While Shin's starting his swing, a faster enemy (like, say, Rei) could
slice you up good. Be quick and deadly, like a ninja or something.
-Make the enemy feel any big mistakes. If you can knock em against the
wall, do your best to keep them there, and do as much damage as possible.
The enemy's defenses are severely limited once they're getting juggled, as
HnK lacks the BURST of GGXX.
-Shin's heavy. Use it to your advantage. If you're offensive enough you can
break the enemy's guard, and if you're defensive you could turtle all day
and all night without worry, unless of course the enemy uses a guard
breaker. But let's not concern ourselves with that.
-Be aggressive, as Arc System Work's games favor those with a burning
fighting spirit who charge head on into battle.

That's all for now. If you have any little ideas or strategies of your own,
send em in, and I'll happily put them up and apply them to my own game!

You can contact me by e-mail at [email protected]



-----------------------
VIII. Credits/Thanks
-----------------------


Arc System Works/Sammy/Sega- for making this game (and the Guilty Gear
series too! Give me X3 or die!)

Tetsuo Hara and Buronson- For creating Hokuto no Ken, and generally kicking
ass.

Wikipedia for having some nice info on Shin and Nanto Koshuken. :)

Uh...I made this guide...so I guess I get credits. Neat.