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***
This document is best viewed with a monospace font (e.g. Courier).
Your standard web browser will do, but just in case your browser's
settings are weird, here's a line of 70 numbers followed by a line of
70 hyphens.
All of the information contained in this document is true to the best
of my knowledge. If you see something wrong about it, don't flame,
send a correction (preferably with proof if you have it). But the
first reaction will always be "I'm not wrong", since I have tested
everything I've typed.
And of course, the mixups don't work the same way for or against
different people, so don't go emailing me saying "That doesn't work!"
But the techniques in general worked for me, so I've typed them as
a guideline to
help out the reader (you). You don't have to follow a
strict plan; versus games can be unpredictable, so go figure out what
to do to win a match as you go.
BUTTONS
A - light punch
B - light kick
C - hard punch
D - hard kick
E - tag button
Start - just what it says
P - any punch button
K - any kick button
BASIC DIRECTIONS
f - forward
b - back
d - down
u - up
N - neutral
df - diagonal down-forward
CONTROLLER MOVEMENT
qcf - quarter-circle forward (d,df,f)
qcb - quarter-circle back (d,db,b)
hcf - half-circle forward (b,db,d,df,f)
hcb - half-circle back (f,df,d,db,b)
dp - dragon punch motion (f,d,df)
rdp - reverse dragon punch motion (b,d,db)
charge b,f - hold back for some time before pressing forward
SYMBOLS
AB - press both buttons at the same time
f+BCD - press the direction and all listed buttons at the same time
A,B - moves must be inputted in sequence (e.g. A then B)
xx - supercancel
*note: It is generally acceptable to use commas "," to show canceling
either normal moves into command moves or normal/command
moves into supers, OR for linking normal moves into each other
ACRONYMS AND TERMS
NGBC or NBC - Neogeo Battle Coliseum.
jump - while standing on the ground press any of u, uf, or ub
high jump / super jump - while standing on the ground press d then
either u, uf, or ub
level - 1/3 of the super meter.
DM - Desperation Move. SNK terminology for Capcom's "super".
SDM - Super Desperation Move. Usually reserved for level 2 or higher,
but in this game, every super can be considered a DM.
Emergency evasion - Press AB when standing still. Costs 1/2 level.
Similar to Capcom vs SNK roll than the King of Fighters roll:
totally invincible except against grabs.
Recovery roll, Techroll - press AB when hitting the ground after you
get knocked down.
GCFS - Guard Cancel Front Step, press f,f when blocking to cancel your
guard and move forward. Your character will glow during this
time but is not invincible. Uses 1/2 level.
GCD - Guard Cancel Dash. It's different in SNK vs Capcom but in this
game it's the same, so everyone uses the terms GCFS and GCD
interchangeably.
JDFS - Just Defend Front Step. Press f,f after blocking at the exact
moment an opponent's move will hit. Uses less meter, but
otherwise only the same as GCFS.
DA - Double Assault. qcf+E. This will drain the opponent's "red life".
Special DA - Special Double Assault. Usually reserved for special
pairings and require specific conditions to perform. Shermie's
Special DA (and associated partner) has not been discovered yet.
Green Life - Your character's actual health. If Green Life drops to
zero, the character is knocked out. History. Kaput. (This isn't
an official term, I just made it up but it's simpler this way.)
Red Life - Recoverable life. If you've played Tekken Tag or any of
the Marvel vs Games, you know what I mean. Inactive characters
regenerate over time (as in convert red life to green life
slowly). (This isn't an official term, I just made it up.)
AB cancel - Press AB during a normal move (costs 1 level) to make an
invincible dash forward, canceling your normal move. I forgot
the official term for it, so I'll just call it "AB cancel".
======================================================================
Section 3: Bio (INFO)
=====================
(coming soon)
======================================================================
Section 4: Move List (MOVE)
===========================
Quick Summary of Command and Special Moves
Ten Rankutou (ground throw)
b or f + CD when close
Hantentou
b or f + CD when close in midair
Sengeki Shuu
f + B
Sengeki Shu
df + C
Koushuu Da
d + B in midair
Hakki Shou
qcf + P
Tenshin Shou
dp + P
Kobi Kyaku
qcb + K
Soushou Shin
qcb + P
Shajou Tai
hcf + K
Braking
AB
En Un Juurokushu no Kamae
d + AC
--Tanshou Shin (A)
--En Un Kasou (B)
--Engan Soushou Da (C, A)
--Ryuu Ensen Kyaku (D)
--Zensou Enbu (d+D, f+B)
--Senkai En (u+K)
--(b+BD)
--Cancel (b,b)
Ri En no Kamae
b + BD during En Un Juurokushu no Kamae
--Enryuu Banda (A)
--Enjin Kyaku (B)
--Haigeki Shu (C)
--Enbi Kyaku (D)
--Haishin Ten Raku Tou (CD when up close)
--Ri En Ryuubu (f,f+BD)
--En Un Juurokushu no Kamae (d+AC)
--Cancel (b,b)
Tenshou Ranki (level 1)
qcf,qcf + K
Soushou Tenrenge (level 2)
qcf,qcf + P
----------------------------------------------------------------------
A. Normal Moves
---------------
stand A
A forward palm thrust.
Cancels into weak normal moves, command moves, special moves, DMs
stand B
A kick to the shin. NOT a low attack.
Cancels into command moves, special moves, DMs
stand C
A double palm chop to the gut. I guess you can poke your opponent with
this.
Cancels into command moves, special moves, DMs only when close.
close stand D
An upward kick to the face. Cancels into nothing.
stand D
A forward thrust kick. A decent mid-range poke. Cancels into nothing.
crouch A
A low palm thrust. Useful in combos.
Cancels into weak normal moves, command moves, special moves, DMs.
crouch B
A low kick. Hotaru's low combo starter and close-range poke of
choice. Cancels into weak normal moves, command moves, special moves,
DMs.
crouch C
An upward slap. I guess you can use this as a combo starter but why?
Crouch B or close stand C is better. Useful as a decent anti-air
though. Cancels into command moves, special moves, DMs.
crouch D
A sweep. Obviously use this to knock down the opponent and set up
Hotaru's crossup. Cancels into nothing.
jump A
A downward-pointing palm thrust. I guess you can use this during
jump-ins, but stick with jump D.
jump B
A kick to Hotaru's front. You can use this as a jump-in combo
starter and in air-to-air situations. But see jump D.
jump C
A high palm thrust. Decent for air-to-air combat.
jump D
A reverse downward-aimed flying kick. USE THIS as a jump-in combo
starter. It's also very very easy to cross the opponent up with
this. You can't go wrong.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
B. Command Moves
----------------
b+CD or f+CD when close (special mention)
Ground throw. Hotaru slams the opponent on the ground and flips
over him or her. This is a good throw as it puts Hotaru in range
to try a jump D crossup.
f+B
Similar in looks to her stand D, but Hotaru will automatically go
into d+AC stance upon finishing her kick. If canceled into, it no
longer goes into the stance, but it will execute faster and is
cancelable to special moves and DMs.
df+C
A low palm swipe. It automatically goes into b+BD stance when
finished. If canceled into, it will still go into the special
stance, but it becomes cancelable to special moves and DMs (...and
obviously won't go into the stance if you cancel it).
d+B in midair
A stomp move. Hotaru will bounce slightly up in the air if she
connects with the opponent on hit or block. You can still do
jumping moves (EXCEPT d+B) after hitting with it. You can setup a
jump D crossup with this. So mix it up.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
C. Special Moves
----------------
Hakki Shou - qcf + P
Hotaru's projectile. I find the slow version to be more useful
especially for covering Hotaru if she needs to run from one end of
the screen to another (example: after connecting with a Double
Assault, doing a weak Hakki Shou then running up to the opponent).
Tenshin Shou - dp + P
Hotaru jumps up and spins for multiple hits. Unfortunately, not
only is it hard to do due to strict controls of the game (for me
the fireball comes up when I try to do this... often), it's not a
good anti-air as well. I guess you can use it during a juggle.
Kobi Kyaku - qcb + K
A reverse kick with blue flame effect. It reflects projectiles.
If an opponent is hit, they will be launched into the air. You
can brake this move with AB to cancel its recovery time and allow
for juggles on the opponent. Timing on the brake is very lax so
you shouldn't worry about it. Despite its looks, it is not a good
anti-air.
Soushou Shin - qcb + P
Hotaru hops forward, spinning both her arms like a propeller, then
does a palm thrust upon landing, which knocks down the opponent.
You can use the A version in combos. Generally unsafe on block, but
you can brake it by pressing AB around the start of the move. When
you brake it, Hotaru automatically goes into d+AC stance.
Shajou Tai - hcf + K when close
A special grab. Hotaru ends up in the air after this move, so combo
with air qcb+K for a knockdown. Personally I prefer Hotaru's
regular throw because of the possible crossup from it. I heard you
can brake its D version but as of now I have no idea what the
timing is.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
D. Stance Moves
---------------
NOTE: Unless stated specifically, all of the stance moves cause
Hotaru to return to normal stance.
En Un Juurokushu no Kamae - d+AC
We will call it "d+AC stance" for short. It looks like Xiaoyu's
Art of Phoenix (crouching stance) move from Tekken.
You can press b or f to move slowly, f,f to perform a short low
dash forward, or b,b to cancel the stance.
* Tanshou Shin - A during d+AC stance
Similar to the qcb+P move, except Hotaru doesn't spin her arms and
she causes less hits. I guess you can use it like qcb+P so see that
move for uses.
* En Un Kasou - B during d+AC stance
Hotaru does a short low kick similar to her crouch B. Must be
blocked crouching, and Hotaru remains in d+AC stance.
* Engan Soushou Da - C,A during d+AC stance
She performs a two-hit punch combo that knocks down. Pretty safe
on block as it pushes the opponent away and causes long guard stun.
(But I said safe on block, I didn't say they can't GCFS it.)
* Ryuu Ensen Kyaku - D during d+AC stance
Hotaru jumps and performs an overhead axe kick. Of course it can be
mixed up with low hits like En Un Kasou.
* Zensou Enbu - d+D, f+B during d+AC stance
Hotaru does her sweep then a standing kick. Both hits usually
combo.
* Senkai En - u+K during d+AC stance
Hotaru does a somersault kick like her T.O.P. move from Garou.
I think you can use this as anti-air.
* b+BD during d+AC stance
Go into the other stance...
Ri En no Kamae - b+BD during d+AC stance
We will call it "b+BD stance" for short. Hotaru turns her back to
the opponent. Yes, this is also similar to Xiaoyu's back turned
"stance" in Tekken. during the stance Hotaru cannot move except
she can hop forward using f,f. Input b,b to cancel the stance.
* Enryuu Banda - A during b+BD stance
Similar to the qcb+P move except that it automatically brakes
before the last hit and goes back into d+AC stance.
* Enjin Kyaku - B during b+BD stance
Looks like her standing B attack. Not very useful since it is not
cancelable and has poor range.
* Haigeki Shu - C during b+BD stance
Hotaru turns towards the oppoent and does a sideways chop toward
her opponent. She will then turn away from the opponent and remain
in b+BD stance.
* Enbi Kyaku - D during b+BD stance
Similar to qcb+K move except without the blue light effects. You
can brake this with AB just like qcb+K (but the timing is stricter
with this move). If it hits an air opponent it will blow them away
(and they can't be juggled) but if it hits an opponent on the
ground they will be launched like qcb+K so the same juggles apply.
The move is fast and safe and can be used as decent anti-air.
* Haishin Ten Raku Tou - CD when close during b+BD stance
Works exactly the same as her ground throw except you do it during
the stance. Dashing (f,f) then throwing is a good option.
* Ri En Ryuubu - f,f+BD during b+BD stance
Hotaru does a gymnastic spinning flip thingy in the air. She hits
on the way down for an overhead.
* d+AC during b+BD stance
You can return to d+AC stance this way.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
E. Desperation Moves
--------------------
Tenshou Ranki (level 1) - qcf,qcf + K
Hotaru does a flip kick which launches the opponent. She will
follow up with a dive to tackle the opponent and... uh, channel
energy through them for damage. It's perfect for juggles involving
qcb+K or similar moves.
Soushou Tenrenge (level 2) - qcf,qcf + P
Hotaru does the first part of qcb+P twice, then a dp+P animation,
then a downward knee dive. OK for combos especially when you need
to play catch up to the opponent. If you're leading, however, I
prefer juggles into qcfqcf+K instead.
Additional notation:
, - moves are done one after the other (e.g. st.A,st.B means you press
stand A then stand B)
[] - Optional moves (you can skip them)
/ - OR (e.g. cr.C/cr.A means you can do either crouch C or crouch A)
xx - cancel/supercancel (usually supercancel as normal cancels are
denoted by the comma)
(corner) - can be done only in the corner
" " (space) - separates followups of the same special move
(You can add a jump attack such as j.D for the following combos)
(You can also replace cr.B,cr.A with:
1. stand A x1 or x2 in all situations
2. cr.C or stand C if opponent is really close by.)
(You can replace the canceled df+C with f+B in all situations,
however, I find df+C easier to do during crouch moves and f+B during
standing moves.)
(You can also replace the df+C xx qcb+K AB with df+C,stance D AB.)
BREAD AND BUTTER (without meter)
cr.B, cr.A, df+C xx qcb+K AB, df+C, D during b+BD stance
BREAD AND BUTTER (with meter)
cr.B, cr.A, df+C xx qcb+K AB, qcfqcf+K
cr.B, cr.A, df+C xx qcb+K AB, qcf+E
VARIATIONS
st.A x 2, f+B, qcf+A (only works with f+B)
cr.B, cr.A, df+C xx qcb+K AB, dp+C
cr.B, cr.A, df+C xx qcb+A
OTHER COMBOS
hcf+K, qcb+K in midair
cr.B, cr.A, df+C, (stance) C, D AB (stance ends), walk forward a bit,
df+C,D (corner)
cr.B, cr.A, df+C, (stance) C, D AB (stance ends), qcfqcf+K
(corner)
As far as I know, Hotaru has no supercancels. :(
======================================================================
Section 6: Hotaru Strategy and Mixups (TECH)
============================================
This is based on what works for me, but you don't really need to
follow this drift by the letter, go find your own waves. Hotaru works
best just outside of throw range but within crouch B up to stand D
range. From afar, Hotaru can throw a qcf+A fireball to close the
distance.
Hotaru's jump D is so good as a crossup, it can be setup in many
ways. Here are some ideas.
1. After hitting with qcfqcf+K super, simply jump over the enemy and
crossup. You may need to take half a step back to crossup smaller
characters (or if the opponent loves to crouch to avoid this one).
2. After knocking them down with a sweep from close range and they
use emergency recovery. Do a high jump over them and crossup.
3. After hitting with D AB during b+BD stance or qcb+K AB, wait a
split second then jump. If they use emergency recovery, you will
cross them up with jump D.
4. After hitting with D during b+BD stance or qcb+K. If the opponent
fails to use emergency recovery, jump D will crossup.
5. After hitting with qcb+P (or variations of it), walk a step
forward and jump over them to crossup.
6. After hitting with C,A during d+AB stance, opponent can't use
ground roll...
7. After a ground throw on the opponent, jump over to crossup.
You can do a mixup in these crossup setups by:
1. not doing the crossup and hitting the enemy in front
2. landing then throwing the opponent
3. landing and doing a throw attack
PROS
* jump D is a very very very very very good crossup
* fast movement
* many moves' recovery time can be canceled
* qcf+A slow fireball is good to cover Hotaru
* qcb+C AB causes decent chip damage while being safe
* stances allow for mixups and mindgames
* decent damage SAFE bread and butter combo even without super
* also comboes bread and butter into double assault
* bread and butter causes chip damage... hmmm?
* good pokes in crouch B, crouch A, stand A and stand D
* did I say jump D is a godly crossup?
CONS
* lack of decent anti-air or overhead in normal stance
* still difficult to get in against projectile-happy Marco or Mudman
* er... help? I'm hard pressed to think of cons for Hotaru...
*** Mr. Big *** (hard)
Once in range, Mr. Big's crouch A of death will beat everything Hotaru
can throw at him on the ground.
So just jump over him. Big should do the spinning anti-air lariat.
Bust out the jump D crossup, it should beat Mr. Big's anti-air 50% of
the time. If you lose the exchange, you will just be knocked down with
minimal damage. If you succeed in the crossup, you will be able to
unleash a damaging combo on Big. The odds are in Hotaru's favor, eh?
Another thing to watch out for is random spinning dives. They're fast
and difficult to punish at the correct distance. Just play defensive
if you're out of Big's crouch A range and Big tries to do crouch D's
or random dives. Basically just try to GCFS a crouch D and poke Big
with crouch B,df+C hopefully you can shift the momentum. If Big dives
at the wrong distance or if he whiffs, run up to him and combo.
*** Kim *** (moderate)
This matchup is basically who can land a crouch B into a combo or a
crossup into crouch B into combo... so keep on the pressure.
Kim has two advantages over Hotaru:
1. stand A
2. decent anti-air
First, the stand A. It's fast and has good range. Kim players will
usually poke with one or two crouch B's then one or two stand A's,
possibly dashing in once in a while to throw. An idea is to stay out
of range and poke with Hotaru's stand D or f+B or qcb+P AB. Also if
Kim busts out the stand A, it means that he loses his charge for his
anti-air somersault kick, so feel free to jump in.
Next, Kim has two good anti-air options: the somersault kick, and the
high kick DM.
If Kim is crouching, that's a dead giveaway that he's charging his
somersault, so throw a fireball at him unless he's rushing down and
doing crouch B's and qcb+P in which case you wait for a standing
normal move before you jump in.
The B version of the high kick DM is guaranteed only if Kim starts it
up just as Hotaru starts her jump, so you usually don't need to be
afraid of it as anti-air. The D version is invincible before the kick
so watch out for it. If you see it coming in midair, you can usually
land and block. Basically just stop what you're doing, block, GCFS,
and combo.
Finally do not, I repeat, DO NOT do a GCFS on Kim's qcb+P. He can just
continue the move to whack you.
*** Marco *** (very hard)
If your partner has a teleport, tag out now. But here's some of the
ways you can try to get in on Marco as Hotaru.
Don't join the projectile war because Marco has more projectiles than
you. Play defensive, and if Marco makes a mistake such as throwing a
grenade when you're close, dash in and sweep. Or if he busts out an
iron lizard after you've blocked the grenade, jump in.
The knife strings are really horrible for Hotaru especially when
cornered. Your only hope is to jump over and hope to get a crossup...
usually there's a break after the third knife slash where you can jump
out of the trap. Watch out though, Marco might interrupt his first
slash with a roll and grab. That's a cue to jump out of the way.
As for the prisoner, you can trigger his beam by running past him. If
Marco has you on projectile or knife lockdown, however, it's not too
easy to dive out of the way. The best way to take care of the old man
is to try a pressure string on Marco, hopefully you can get close and
start a combo. Always stop your combo when the old man charges and
you should be able to block. Just be warned that the old man can
hit you from off screen if he decides to stop and shoot there.
(more matchups to come if I feel like it)
======================================================================
Section 9: About the Author (ABOU)
==================================
Location:
Project 8, Quezon City, Philippines
Where I play:
Quantum SM North Edsa (Quezon City) - I go here very often
About me:
I prefer the online alias Robo-Mike. Robo comes from Robo-Ky, a
character in the fighting game Guilty Gear XX. You can tell now
that I'm better at 2D fighting games than 3D.
Thank you for reading this guide.
Links:
pencil-sketch-badger.deviantart.com
======================================================================
Section 10: Contact Info (MAIL)
===============================
e-mail: hidden for now
Post at the NGBC board at GameFAQs, if you have any questions. We need
more board activity, really.
