Dead or Alive 3
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Ryu Hayabusa FAQ v1.1
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Updates: 4/6/04 (Ryu's birthday is soon! Yay!)
- Fixed up the countering for Bass's
'charge-at-them-like-the-raging-Daddy-bull-I-am' move. It's actually high on my
game. I swore it was middle once upon a time, but... meh.
- Added a new Izuna strategy... (came from a button masher! ARGH! My
reputation! Don't go!)
- Added random facts here and there ^_^
- Added an FAQ section
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Contents:
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1a: Author's notes
1b: The boring stuff
2a: A bit about Ryu
2b: The basics... for any newbie
2c: Moves list
Countering in more detail
2d: The Izuna (yes, it gets its own section! Lucky Izuna!)
2e: Tag team throws
3a: Strategies against the CPU
3b: Miscellaneous
3c: Frequently asked questions
4a: Credits etc.
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1a: Author's notes
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Sorry, but I'm cutting the fancy stuff, because I am not skilled in the fancy
stuff. Besides, you didn't want this FAQ for the fancy stuff, did you? Sorry if
you did, but...
Anyways, this FAQ is dedicated to the one and only super ninja, Ryu Hayabusa.
Why am I writing a Hayabusa FAQ?
Let's see. Partially because I really like Ryu Hayabusa as a character. Have
for basically two years.
Secondly, for a game character he's pretty damn hot. (Yes, I'm a girl... okay,
I'll try not to do it again...)
And thirdly, if you can master him, he kicks butt. Isn't that reason enough?
Not even the toughest of characters stands a chance if you can pull off his
punch counters, especially.
But... obviously you're at least a little curious if you're reading this FAQ,
huh? So let's get into it!
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1b: The boring stuff
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Okay. Ryu Hayabusa is not mine, as much as I want him to be... Tecmo and Team
Ninja claim that, as well as owning Dead or Alive 3 and Ninja Gaiden in the
first place. You have to give them credit for making such a good game, even if
their main market was obviously guys, it is one of the smoothest (possibly the)
available now.
I don't mind if you redistribute this FAQ, just leave it intact, okay?
Plagiarism is *bad*. Don’t edit it, and you can pass it around as much as you
want. And don’t copy. Yup. Other then that...
Right, now that we got that out of the way...
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2a: A bit about Ryu
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Right! (I was so tempted to make a pun out of that, but I decided to spare you)
Some info about Ryu Hayabusa. His first claim to fame was in the Ninja Gaiden
series which hit the arcades in the 1980’s, and was then released on the NES in
1988. As some of you may know already, Ninja Gaiden has been released on the
Xbox. It is now in Australia, so I can rejoice. I'm not sure about New Zealand,
but I was told that it came out approximately the same time. Shameless plug:
You like action games, buy Ninja Gaiden. Heck, even if you don't, buy it
anyway. You will seriously NOT be disappointed.
However, quite a few people know Ryu from his little adventures in the Dead or
Alive series. Even in the first game, he stood out as a good fighter, (but, oh
the pain! Those kicks! Ouch!) and that has only improved coming to DOA3. He has
the most versatile and powerful throw in the game, the Izuna Otoshi being used
a total of five times. And, uh, he has cool hair. ^_^
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Ryu Hayabusa
Age: 23
Occupation: Owner of curio shop (antique shop in DOA... but whatever pushes
your buttons)
Birthday: June 15, age 23 (go June!)
Height/Weight: 5’10”, 154lbs
Body Size: B21”W33”H36” (as if anyone cares... although it changed from DOA to
DOA2... guess ‘someone’ cares! Haha!)
Blood type: A
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2b: The Basics
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The automatic defaults for the controller are as follows (in combat):
D-pad/analogue stick: Free roaming
X button: Free (used mainly for blocking and with directions to counter... more
on that later)
Y button: Punch
B button: Kick
A button: Throw
White button: The same as pressing Y and B at the same time... P + K
Black button: Equivalent of pressing X, Y and K at the same time: F + P + K
L: Not used
R: F + K (Same as pressing X and B)
Man, I’m too used to the Playstation controllers, keep on calling X Square.
Anyways.
Okay, not that I’m encouraging button-mashing, but if you are a button masher
and proud of maintaining your mashing reputation but want to be a ‘skilled
button-masher’, simply remember what the block button is and use mostly punch
and kick with different directional buttons. Just a tip! But... button mashing
is evil, and I don’t recommend it! I know how annoying it is when your opponent
button mashes... save a human and don’t button mash. ^_^
However... button mashers probably wouldn’t use Hayabusa anyway. He makes a bad
button masher. Look for Jann-Lee, Ein, Hitomi or Hayate if you’re looking for a
better button masher.
I am NOT promoting button mashing, by the way! *Sigh* Don’t think I am! But
hey, if you like button mashing... whatever turns you on.
Another useful technique which, if you are a newbie at DOA, you should try and
pick up as soon as possible is countering, which will be covered in more detail
later. But I cannot express how useful countering is! Really... I know I sound
like I’m trying to sell it, but to be successful, especially with Hayabusa; you
need to know how to counter.
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2c: Moves List
Okay! The moves list! Note that all these controls are when you are on the left.
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Normal attacks:
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Ren-Jaki-Barai: P, P, P, P
Kusen-Zangeki: P, P, left + P, P
Ren-Yami-Barai: P, P, left + P, down + punch
Mekki-Tatsumaki: P, P, left + punch, K
Ren-Kikoku-Shintei: P, P, K, K, K (the CPU often uses this move, especially if
you’re temporarily stunned)
Jinpu-Ren-Kyaku: P, P, down + kick (gets into handstand... the CPU never gets
into a handstand)
Hato-Geri: P, K, K (some useless info: direct translation is pigeon shit.
Hmm...)
Hatotsu-Rensho: Right + P, K, K
Raishin-Geki: Right, right + punch
Amatsuki: Up + punch (useful for getting the opponent up again after they have
hit the wall the first time)
Kushin-Geki: Left + P, P (second half of the Kusen-Zangeki)
Hayo-Nagi-Geri: Left + P, K (finishes in Hayabusa’s middle kick... not really
much use unless you’re trying to stall a counter)
Yami-Barai: Left + P, down + P (second half of Ren-Yami-Barai, surprisingly
enough)
Akki-Barai: Diagonal up left + P, P (second half of Ren-Jaki-Barai)
Shinso-Zuki: Diagonal down right + P, P, P (in DOA2 only had the first punch...
Tecmo was generous to give him two more, quite a useful move)
Chisen-Kyaku: Diagonal down right P, K *hold the diagonal!* (all the ninjas
except for Kasumi have a move similar to this... extremely easy to counter
though)
Garyo-Sen: This one’s a pain to describe! Run your finger from down to up on
the d-pad/analogue stick complete with P.
Jaki-Barai: K, P (useful for tricking people who think you’re going to pull off
a Hazumi-Guruma)
Hazumi-Guruma: My friend calls it the ballerina kick. K, K. Second kick is easy
to counter, (high) but breaks guard.
Nichirin-Kyaku: Diagonal up right + K. (A forward roll that does a bit of
damage, but is un-counterable)
Hagen-Koryu-Kyaku: Up + K, K (the first of Hayabusa’s ‘ouch’ moves! First half
high counter, second middle counter, if you manage to block the first half.
However, if you get hit by the first half then you can’t counter the second)
Tenrin-Kyaku: An invaluable move. Diagonal up left + K. (Is the only one of the
ninjas’ backward kicks done with the same controls that you can counter, but
the fastest)
Onibishi: While you’re standing, hit K. For example, after you do a forward
roll (or Urakaze, if you wanted to get technical) just hit the K button as
you’re standing. Looks basically the same as Mai-Kiri)
Ura-Chiso-Kyaku: Diagonal down right + K, K (Middle kick, then something that
looks to everyone except for me as breakdancing. Another easy move to counter,
because down is the only way he can go)
Haja-Rensho: For some reason, I call it the football kick. One of those ‘don’t
ask’ things. Right + K, K
Jisuberi: Right, right + K. A slidey kick that trips the opponent.
Chiso-Shoryu-Kyaku: Another handstand ending move. Diagonal down left + K, K.
Ends in handstand, un-counterable.
Jinpu-Geki: Diagonal down left + K, K. *Hold the diagonal* Ends in handstand at
low counter. Handstand will only work if it connects with the opponent,
otherwise he’ll do something somewhat resembling a bum-drag.
Jinpu-Ren-Geki: Diagonal down left + K, Diagonal down left + K, K. *Hold the
second diagonal!* The CPU uses the first two steps of this move, but not the
handstand. When one comes, you know the second one’s going to be low, so it’s
easy to counter. Handstand will only work if it connects with the opponent,
otherwise he’ll do something somewhat resembling a bum-drag.
Riei-Shusen-Kyaku: Right, left + K. A neat little heel move where it looks like
Hayabusa’s about to attack middle, but actually attacks low for next to no
damage. But hey, it’s kind of distracting.
Korin-Kyaku: Left + K. An un-counterable handstand which will only work if
actually connecting with the opponent.
Mai-Kiri: Run your finger from down to up on the d-pad/analogue stick and hit
K. Not overly useful if you can’t get it, however.
Shoryu-Kyaku: As you’re getting up (see Onibishi for more info) press left + K.
An un-counterable handstand.
Soku-Rento: A real pain if you’re using analogue (controller setting, not the
analogue stick) P + K (white button), P. if you’re using analogue, chances are
you’ll often get this move from pressing too hard.
Tenma-Meido-Ha: Right + P + K. A high elbow attack which is fairly easy to
counter.
Gao-Sho: Left + P + K. Very useful, especially as you can hold it for a second
to a few seconds, doing more damage. Easy to counter with the CPU, as they hold
it for as long as they can (about three seconds) but harder with a human
opponent because they can change the timing. Middle counter, breaks guard. One
problem I have discovered more recently with this move is that if you judge the
distance, as soon as you release the move you are vulnerable to being thrown.
Just a word of warning; judge it well!
Rekku-Rakushin-Ga: Diagonal down right + P + K, K. Second kick is Hayabusa’s
‘default’ back kick if he’s caught behind. Both middle counter, first half can
be used to pull off a better combo, however.
Kikoku-Shintei-Kyaku: F + K (R button), K, K or you can just jam the R button
three times, but the noise can give you away. Third kick un-counterable, but
the first two are high. You get nailed by the first; you’re nailed by all of
them.
Chisho-Kyaku: Twirly handstand. Left + F + K. Un-counterable, but can be
avoided with high counter.
Jinpu-Kyaku: Down + F + K. Won’t work if it doesn’t connect.
Zamna-Geri: Diagonal down right + F + K. Same kick at the end of
Mekki-Tatsumaki.
Furetsu: When near a wall, assuming that the wall’s on your left, press left +
P + K. Breaks guard, un-counterable (avoided with middle counter)
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In handstand attacks: (easiest way to get into handstand out of battle is down
+ P + K, in battle, see the attacks above)
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Koten-Seiken-Zuki: P. Wow. But you can continue with regular combos.
Koten-Sokuto-Geri: Long name for short move. Down + K.
Senjin-Kyaku: K, K. Both parts un-counterable.
Tenho-Kyaku: P + K. Also un-counterable. However, does NOT break guard, which
can be a bit of an arse as you are vulnerable to being thrown if you use it and
your opponent is blocking.
Muso-Gari: F + K. Low counter. Quite easy to counter, simply because of the,
err... ‘noise’ (sorry, can’t think of a better term!) Ryu makes when he uses it.
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Throws:
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Juji-Garami: F + P. Your default should be the A button, however, so I’ll stick
with saying A. The weakest, and escapable, throw. Does 40 points damage on no
counter.
Kubikiri-Nage: This move was in DOA2, but not executed the same way. In
sparring mode, your default position is perfect distance-wise. Up + A. Also
known as the guillotine throw in Ninja Gaiden, and does a heck of a lot more
damage in there, too. Only does 45 points, no counter.
Shiho-Nage: Diagonal down right + A. Fairly hard to recover from (more about
that later), switches sides. Minimum 48 damage, depending on the level of
counter you get.
Yama-Arashi: Translation: Mountain storm. Left + A. Easy to execute and does
decent damage. Default 52 damage.
Hayabusa-Geri: Ladies and gentlemen, enter the falcon shit! (Yup, direct
translation) Right, right + A. Does 50 points damage and if your opponent
doesn’t automatically get up, you can jump on them. (Not in sparring, though)
Gen-Ei: Right + A. Good if you want to get the back advantage, but be careful!
Rakurai-Sho: Actually looks quite painful if you see it in slow-mo. You have to
do a diagonal run from down to left and hit A. Default 60 points damage.
Izuna-Otoshi: The dreaded Izuna! See the special Izuna section for more
information on this one. The throw does 80 damage.
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To foe’s back throws:
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Ura-Nage: A. Easy. But the weakest throw of all three back throws.
Kandachi-Otoshi: Easily the coolest looking back throw. Left + A. Who said he
was just a pretty face??
Rakuryu-Sho: Right + A. Does the most damage (by three whole points). Nightmare
has this move in Soul Calibur 2. How’s that for random info?
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During handstand throws:
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Yeah, Hayabusa’s versatile.
Kirimoni-Nage: A. Easy. But handstand throws generally are pretty risky,
because it’s easy to get knocked out of it. Does two whole points less then
Kabuto-Gari, but easier to recover from. Does 48 damage.
Kabuto-Gari: Left + A. Pretty cool looking, but harder to get up from. Kirimoni
gives you more distance. Does 50 damage.
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Crouching throws:
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Zanshu-Sen: Down + A. If you’re going to use a down throw, don’t use this one.
You’ll be able to get Hane-Karakuri 99% of the time, and it does more damage.
Hane-Karakuri: Diagonal down left + A. Besides, it looks cooler, anyway. Does
62 damage.
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Crouching foe back throw:
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Yeah, he only needs one.
Takitsubo-Watari: Down + A. Odds are you won’t get to use this one unless you
versus Ayane or a very Kubikiri-Nage favouring Hayabusa. Looks pretty cool,
though. Does, uh, 57 points damage, if my memory serves me correctly.
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Counters: (Assuming you’re on the left hand side)
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Woo hoo! Counters! (Yay, I hear you say). Right. Countering, as I’ve mentioned,
is what separates two players. My advice to people who find countering hard is
to go into sparring and practise, practise, practise!
High counter (for every character: Diagonal up left + F.
Middle counter: Left + F
Low counter: Diagonal down left + F.
Some characters have more advanced counters that do more damage, but I won’t
bother with them because Hayabusa isn’t one of them... sort-of. He’s an oddity.
Instead of the usual controls for an advanced counter, he has three of them...
yup, you’ve guessed it, all Izuna. So technically, they deserve to give an
instant KO (especially if you find the Izuna hard!) but it does 90 points
damage on high counter (react literally just before the blow lands) same as the
advanced counters. The kicks are the default counters.
For the Senko-Izuna, Rekko-Izuna and Yoko-Izuna (High, middle and low counters
respectively) check out the Izuna section of this guide. For the other
counters, check here.
Kage-Toro: Prepare to have your leg muscles ache watching this one! Default
high counter controls: Diagonal up left + F. You can definitely sneak in a down
punch after this move.
Orochi-Gari: The only ninja who doesn’t have a ‘send-‘em-up-into-the-air’
middle counter, is Hayabusa. Left + F.
Koken-Giri: Diagonal down left + F. A nice fast counter which you can sneak a
punch down in, or a jump if you’re lucky and your opponent’s slow.
Gasai: Prepare for the fastest jump punch counter in the game. You pull it off
the same way as a middle counter.
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Miscellaneous moves:
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Naraku-Zuki: To downed foe, press the black button (F + P + K) and up at the
same time. Takes longer then the punch, however.
Toraga-Sodan: ‘The punch’. Down and P when your foe’s on the ground.
Tenchi-Gaeshi: A nice way of saying ‘handstand’. Down + P + K (or white button)
Urakaze: Cute name, no? Diagonal up right + P. Forward roll, does no damage but
can set you up well for other moves.
Yay, appeals. Nin: Left, right, left + black button.
Zetsu: Right, left, right + black button. Point of these is basically nothing
except sounding cool.
Rei: Down, down + black button. “Gomen”, in DOA2 his favourite damn phrase.
Useless note: You can pull off an Onibishi getting up.
Koten: In handstand, hit down to get out. Easy. Beware; you can be caught in a
down throw if you use this move to get out of your handstand though.
Ko-Ten: Original name. In handstand, press left twice. There’s no way of you
being able to be caught in a down throw and it gives you distance between you
and your opponent.
Asuka-Gaeshi: When next to a wall (assuming left hand side) hit left + P to
flip over to your opponent’s back. And it looks cool.
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2d: The Izuna... the dreaded Izuna
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Firstly… this move is a tough one. No denying it. But if you want to use
Hayabusa, you should learn how to use it as he uses it... five times in total.
The original throw, three counters, and being ‘sent’ an opponent when the tag
team partner doesn’t have a tag team attack with him.
Right. The first half is as follows for the throw:
Diagonal twirl from left to right. So that’s left, left down, down, right down,
right + A.
That’s the first part. Second part...
Diagonal twirl from down to up. Down, right down, right, right up, up + A. Look
in the left hand corner (assuming you’re using the first controller).
It says in blue writing combo throw. When that comes up, you have two seconds
to input the next lot of the move in.
Third part: What makes the Izuna-Otoshi the Izuna-Otoshi.
You can go from right to down, but that’s harder. Start from left, and go
clockwise to down.
So that’d be left, up left, up, up right, right, down right, down + A. All in
two seconds.
Yup. Fun.
It takes a while, but it certainly is possible. It’s a lot harder in the
original DOA though. Lucky we’re doing DOA3, huh.
Counters are basically the same, but the first step is easier. Instead of the
first part of the throw, you just do the normal counter input. The next two
steps are the same, however.
If you’re practising with the counters, my advice is to start practising on the
low punch counter. It’s by far the easiest, as it gives you more air time to
input the throw. High punch and the tag team throw is the hardest, because of
him vaulting the opponent up, it gives you a lot less time.
Or... if you preferred, you could just use analogue (controller setting). Then
all you have to do is mash the A button hard, three times. Or the X button,
depending on whether you’re countering.
A lot easier, huh?
A lot less satisfying too. But hey... it gives your thumbs a break.
New: A strategy my (button-mashing... guess I can't bag button mashers so much
now, huh!) friend found out. Instead of totally breaking your thumbs, simply
twirl the analogue stick as fast as you can and mash the A button at the
appropriate time (when it says in the top left corner, assuming you start on
the left). You will be pleasantly surprised. (Unless you're me, who spent
god-knows how long perfecting the Izuna the 'proper' (hahah!) way...)
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2e: Tag Team Throws
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Back in the good ol’ days of DOA2, Hayabusa was the character with the most tag
team attacks. However, on account of new characters popping up and him not
having any tag team attacks with any of them; I think Gen-Fu beats him to it.
However, he is still one of the most versatile; having tag team throws one way
or the other with most of the characters.
Let’s see. I have no idea what the actual names of these attacks are, but I’ll
list his compatibilities.
Kasumi: Both ways. They’re the default pairing. Seeing Ryu do the Oboro is
pretty cool. (That’s Kasumi’s way)
Hitomi: Nope. That’s for Kasumi. Actually, I think she’s getting gradually more
compatible with everyone. Hmm. She gains moves every new game. Perhaps I’m just
jealous.
Zack: Yes. Actually, in DOA2 they didn’t have one, it was a DOA3 exclusive.
Only Zack’s way, though. But it looks pretty cool.
Gen-Fu: Both ways. Don’t know why, exactly. Probably because they’re both good
at pulling out the clichés.
Brad Wong: Nope. Again, for Kasumi to pull off.
Tina: Yes, both ways. They’re pretty compatible considering they have nothing
in common. Tina’s is especially noteworthy.
Bass: Yes, Hayabusa’s way. Hayabusa to Bass.
Leon: Yes, Hayabusa to Leon.
Bayman: Yes, both ways, however, Bayman to Hayabusa is pulled off differently.
From Bayman, press diagonal down right (assuming you’re on the left) twice and
A. Or you can just do the Izuna, which actually does ten more points then the
tag team throw. Maybe it’s good Hayabusa isn’t so compatible... the Izuna does
more then most tag team throws, equals others...
Jann-Lee: Sparked from a rivalry sort of thing in DOA2, yes, both ways.
Leifang: No, unfortunately. I think they have the potential for a good move
together.
Christie: No. (Phew... could be kind of scary)
Helena: Yes, Helena’s way. That girl isn’t modest... at the end of that move
she sure don’t mind flashing her undies.
Hayate: Don’t even get me started. No, they don’t. They should, but they don’t.
They have a winning pose, but no tag team throws. *Sigh*.
Ayane: Yes, both ways. Rather cool. Personally, I prefer using Ayane to Kasumi
so she makes a good partner for him.
Ein: Yes, both ways. And they have an end pose, too. Woo hoo.
Random fact: Most characters have their middle punch counter as the move they
use when they have no tag team attack with the partner... Hayabusa uses his
high punch counter. Hey!
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3a: Strategies against the CPU
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In order from the left.
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Kasumi:
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Well, our runaway kunoichi can be a bit of a royal pain in the butt, especially
for Hayabusa as she beats him in speed easily. (Yup... that little spark of
jealousy is kicking in) However, Hayabusa nails her in both counters and throws.
With Kasumi, your best bet is to block most of her faster attacks. She
especially seems to like P, P, K, K when you’re already off balance. Counter
her punches, and if you can pull off the Izuna you’re in the clear.
I’m actually lucky because my non-CPU opponent’s primary character is Kasumi,
so I get decent practise. However, she is one of the ones most likely to give
Ryu a run for his money, so to speak. Try and get her in the air and juggle her
using the diagonal down right + white button (P + K) lift-off, then a
Ren-Yami-Barai or a Mekki-Tatsumaki if you have enough time.
Tag team wise, Kasumi is an easy opponent. If you can do combos well with both
your characters, she’ll be disposed of quite quickly.
Another useful thing is the Urakaze. If you time it correctly (but be warned,
it isn’t always possible) you will flip over your opponent and be able to
attack their back. Mekki-Tatsumaki is great if there is enough time, otherwise
the Ren-Kikoku-Shintei is another damaging option. (24 + 37 damage if they all
hit)
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Hayabusa:
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Know your own character! If you’re pretty right with being able to pull off all
Hayabusa’s moves, then your opponent Hayabusa won’t stand a chance. Seriously,
you should be able to counter most; if not all the moves he pulls off. The
juggle technique mentioned above is always handy with anybody, however be
careful when you punch him. The only time he won’t pull off a flawless Izuna is
off the edge of an arena (only single player), and the minimum damage for the
Izuna is 60 points, which is the same as most character’s second best throws
(except for the throwers, eg: Tina, Bass, Bayman etc.)
You shouldn’t have a problem with Hayabusa as the CPU. One move the CPU does
favour is the first two punches of the Shinso-Zuki, then the nasty little up +
K, K manoeuvre. Chances are if there’s a slight hesitation after the first two
punches, counter high.
Kasumi and Hayabusa make a powerful pairing. Kasumi starts off with the short
and fast attacks, then tags out and lets Hayabusa do some. However, Hayabusa
often uses his tag team throw to Kasumi, which does 10 points damage less then
the Izuna. Sometimes those 10 points can make a difference! Try and make sure
that they don’t get you in a combo. But, if you go as Hayabusa all the time,
like me, you won’t get to go against them together, so you won’t need to worry.
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Hitomi:
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Miss Hitomi can be tough if you let her be. Solution: Don’t let her be. The
majority of her punches can easily be countered (see how important the Izuna
counters are? Failure rate begins at 30 for a slow counter, which is basically
nothing.) And thrown back in her face. Her throws are relatively weak, so you
shouldn’t face too much trouble there.
Her counters are also the weakest in the game, along with a few other
characters’. Chances are that her counters won’t take much off your life gauge
if you do get countered.
As for attacking, juggling is usually the safest way to go. Tenrin-Kyaku always
works well against anyone, provided they don’t counter it, of course.
Try not to let her knock you down. With some knock-downs, if you press F just
before you land, you will get up again instead of falling to the ground. Useful
if you always get countered attacking on the way up again.
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Zack:
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Umm. Not going against Zack too much, I can’t say a lot. However, he shouldn’t
pose too much of a threat, especially from the CPU. His punches are usually
quite predictable, so Izuna is the way to go. Attacking wise, his counters do
the same as yours (well, the kick ones, anyway) so be wary of that. Attacks
wise, his attacks are fast but also predictable.
You shouldn’t have to break too much of a sweat to beat him, but he does have a
few un-counterable moves up his sleeve (eg: diagonal up left + K, K) but they
shouldn’t cause too much trouble overall.
Zack and Hitomi make a decent pair. Because their throws aren’t the greatest
(Hitomi especially) they will overuse their tag throw. So if you can get one or
other out of the way, it’ll make your life a lot easier.
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Gen-Fu:
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Gen-Fu has an iron fist. Fist = punch. Punch = Izuna. Countering is
invaluable... if you haven’t already got that message. Especially against
punch-favourers like Gen-Fu. He can be quite tough, what with all those
‘send-you-flying’ punches, but shouldn’t pose too much trouble. The block
button comes in handy, as do the other strategies mentioned above.
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Brad Wong:
________________________
Here’s where your strategy goes out the window. Because of the drunken moves
(stand up straight, fool!) he can be quite difficult to counter. You might
think it’s high, but it fools you. It’s really middle.
Blocking comes in real handy and try to stay on the offensive instead of
defensive. Throws and the like work well here.
When he uses his P, P, P, you can nearly guarantee a high punch is coming once
he turns his back. Very rarely does it not happen that way.
Also, the majority of his throws aren’t that good, if you’re looking to pick on
a weakness. Try and throw him while he’s lying down if the opportunity arises.
Brad and Gen-Fu make a decent CPU pairing, but shouldn’t pose much difficulty.
However, because their throws are on the weaker side, you’ll see them tag team
throw a lot. So it’s best to dispose of one or the other as soon as you can,
which greatly reduces their arsenal.
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Tina:
________________________
Tina doesn’t have many great attacks. Sorry any Tina fans out there. Her throws
more then compensate, however, so try and stay out of throwing range whenever
possible. Chances are you’ll rack up a high counter attack because she’s tried
to grab you and you’ve hit her before she could.
Most of the moves she uses are middle counter, but not all. However, when in
tag team with Bass, they will often use their tag team throw, instead of her
more powerful throw combos. Could be good, unless you’re sick of getting
bulldozed by the two (like me...)
Make sure you escape any throw combos, by hitting A while in a combo throw.
However, Hayate’s three part throw and the Izuna (yesss!!!) are not escapable.
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Bass:
________________________
Basically the same strategy as for Tina, but he’s easier because he’s slower.
If he does a low stomp, usually means he’ll follow with a middle-something.
If he starts off with sort of roaring at you with one arm up, counter high as
he charges you, or I think ducking will do the trick too. Blocking won’t work,
unfortunately. Shame, that. Each character should have one unblockable move (at
least) like in Soul Calibur 2. Oh well...
Most of his moves are fairly easy to predict. You really shouldn’t have much
trouble disposing of him. He beats you in throws, but you easily beat him in
speed, so that shouldn’t pose too much of a problem.
One other thing with both Tina and Bass, try and get out of their middle kick
counter second part if you get caught in it. Just mash the A button.
________________________
Leon:
________________________
Leon isn’t a tough opponent by himself, especially as you have the advantage of
speed and good punch counters. When he does the two punches (right + P, P, I
think) chances are he’ll follow with a low kick, so get ready to counter.
He’s fairly easy to counter. Just watch out for the throws, especially the
let’s-play-throw-torpedo-style! throw. Quite nasty, especially if you’re
unfortunate enough to hit the wall in the process. His throw combos are easy to
get out of, just hit A.
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Bayman:
________________________
Despite them being almost the same, I find Leon easier to use (but Bayman has
two tag team attacks with Hayabusa, so...) Bayman has a certain move he loves
to use in various ways, either ending in a high kick or a low-sweep style
attack. Pretty hard to counter, surprisingly.
Try and remain on the offensive with Bayman. His offensive is quite offensive,
and chances are you’ll end up being severely crunched. (Poor Ryu...) So try and
counter if you can, but stay mostly on attacking. Juggling works well, and if
you’re a skilled juggler (unlike me!) you can use the first part of the Izuna
as your launch and juggle from that.
Bayman and Leon make a pretty good pair. However, they brush aside their
stronger throws for their tag team throw (which only does 70 points damage, but
sends me cowering every time they use it on Hayabusa... gets me laughing when
it’s used on anyone else, though...) all up, though, the highest combo I’ve
seen them pull off is 9 hit, and that was high counter, so you should be fine.
________________________
Jann-Lee:
________________________
Jann-Lee is usually fairly easy to counter, although harder then in DOA2. Back
in DOA2, it seemed as though you could just do a high counter and he’d attack
into it. Now, a few more of his moves are middles, but still he uses mostly
punches, so that shouldn’t be too hard. However, he is one of two characters
that has an unblockable move. You can either counter high, or from memory,
ducking should work as well.
With his K, K, K move, the first kick is the one which you would (hopefully)
block, and you can counter the next one. Even if you don’t block it, you can
still get an easy high counter, because the move is high and easy to react
later. Besides, they get you extra damage, so the later you wait, the better.
Just don’t wait too long.
Jann-Lee is actually one of the slower fast characters. He isn’t slow in the
traditional sense, but what with all his foot-changing after he does a move, it
gives you prime time to attack him, or even better, launch him into an Izuna.
His moves are powerful, considering he has a whole line-up of those
punch-you-square-across-the-arena moves, but they shouldn’t really pose much
problem if you can counter. The majority of the moves he uses are high, anyway.
________________________
Leifang:
________________________
Another person where looks can be deceiving. Although her moves seem quite easy
to counter, the majority of them aren’t. Make sure you get out of her three
part throw combo if she gets you into it, and don’t let her get you with an
advanced counter.
However, I recommend that you try and stay on the offensive with her. Defence
works if you’re an experienced counterer, but if you’re not, you’ll definitely
prefer to stay on offence. Just don’t pull off too many moves at the same level
(level being high, middle or low) because you’ll get pushed into an advanced
counter (except for the middle kick, 90 points on high counter, same as the
Izuna counter)
Most of the punches she uses are middle, but not all. However, chances are that
if you counter middle, you’ll be lucky... unless she moves in and throws you.
Jann and Lei make a great tag team pairing, in case you haven’t already
noticed. Try and attack Jann-Lee first and get him out of the way, because
Leifang usually poses more of a threat.
________________________
Christie:
________________________
Hmm, Christie. She can either be really tough or really easy. Don’t let her
stay on the offensive for too long, because chances are you’ll take a decent
amount of damage. It’s best to stay offensive yourself, countering her punches
as necessary.
Her throws are fairly weak, so don’t be afraid to get in close and whack her
from there. However, she has a few nasty moves in her arsenal which she might
pull out. Again, as with a few of the other faster characters, the block button
is your friend.
________________________
Helena:
________________________
Well, she’s the same as Christie in this respect. Either really hard or really
easy. Her throws generally are nothing to write about, except for her diagonal
run from left to right + A, which she can pull off from her normal stance,
Bokuho stance (and perhaps from backward stance, I’ll have to check that).
Basically... she likes that throw.
Her punches are fast, but you should be able to counter the last parts of them.
Even so, it’s safer to remain offensive. Just be careful you don’t get
countered, as Helena is one of the better countering characters.
Helena and Christie make a strong tag team duo. Because their throws aren’t
great generally, the tag team throw will be often seen both ways. Be careful
not to get caught in a combo, as these two by themselves are the best at combos
(Ayane is good too) and when you put them together, chances are an 11 hit combo
won’t be an oddity.
________________________
Hayate:
________________________
Although he is crowned as one of the most button-masher-friendly characters
(not exactly a compliment, that...) he isn’t a pushover, especially paired with
Ayane. They overuse their tag team throws something chronic. (But then, don’t
most of them?) Hayate himself isn’t overly difficult, however, don’t let your
guard down.
With his three part throw, chances are you’ll only see the first two parts. I
think I’ve seen the CPU complete that throw combo very rarely. Normally it
would do 80 points damage, same as the Izuna, more if it hits the wall.
However, on high counter the damage doesn’t go up a lot, only in the low
nineties. The Izuna comes in at 120 on high counter for the throw, 90 for the
counters and the same as Hayate’s throw tag team. Stick with the throw if you
can.
Both Hayate and Kasumi (must be a Mugen-Tenshin Tenjinmon thing) love their P,
P, K, K move. You’ll see it a lot. The First kick of Hayate’s is uncounterable,
but if you block the first half he’ll probably stop, not doing the second kick
(which is counterable, middle) so that’s your chance to go in and Izuna him.
Hayate and Hayabusa are supposed to be fairly even in skills, except Hayabusa
is a touch faster and Hayate is a touch more powerful. This shouldn’t prove
much of a problem, though, especially if you love beating Hayate across the
arena (like me.) If he uses his diagonal left up + K move, it does 5 points
more then the Tenrin, but isn’t counterable. However, if you avoid it and do a
throw, there’s 52-58 points damage for you. Or you could just attack him from
the back, if you prefer. The possibilities are endless!
________________________
Ayane:
________________________
Ayane is a strong character, especially against Hayabusa. She has pretty much
everything under control except her most powerful throw is weaker and her
countering does a bit less damage. She can pull out the combos quicker then you
can say ‘Wow, was that me flying across the arena?’ and she has elegance while
doing them, too.
However, it’s not all bad. Her kicks are extremely powerful (and a decent
percentage of them uncounterable) but her punches, although fast, are the
things to attack. You have a good punch counter, why not use it?
Be wary of Ayane on her back, unless she performs a diagonal left up + K, then
you have enough time to grab her almost foolproof, but she can still attack you
quite easily while her back is facing you. Your best bet is to P, P, K, K, K
her back.
Ayane and Hayate make a decent combination. One or other with launch you into
the air, then the other one will either pull off a nasty combo (Ayane) or send
you flying across the arena (Hayate). They often use their tag team throws,
especially from Ayane’s point as her throws by herself are weaker.
It’s best to start attacking Hayate first. Generally, he’s the slower one,
therefore easier to attack. However, Ayane has her moments, and you should be
able to attack her punches fairly well.
________________________
Ein:
________________________
Hayate-who-couldn’t-remember-he-was-Hayate uses pretty much the same strategy
as Hitomi, except he’s a bit harder to use and a bit easier to counter. See
Hitomi for a more detailed strategy, because I’m not going to type it out again.
________________________
3b: Miscellaneous
________________________
How to unlock Hayabusa’s C3:
Simply win at least 20 matches of survival with Hayate as his partner. Easy.
It’s certainly a... new type of outfit, if you haven’t seen it before.
Certainly surprised me... I was expecting ninja-cliché, and instead got
leather-skanky. Not that I’m complaining, but it was a bit of a surprise.
However, any Hayabusa fan who’s been wondering what he looks like with his hair
down, your prayers have been answered. Fan-girls, try not to goggle too long
(yeah, I know it’s difficult!)
Extra note: This only works in the European/Australian/New Zealand version of
the game. American and Japanese gamers have to get the booster disc, so I’m
told.
A few tips when going as Hayabusa:
Hayabusa is a strong character if you let him be. He works better by himself
then in a tag team (solitary super ninja, maybe?) but works well with someone
else too. Juggling is a good way to go, starting with the diagonal down right +
white button (P + K) punch, then going from there.
And countering... you’ve probably guessed that countering is an important part
of being able to use Ryu well. Especially the Izuna counters.
Listen to him! I know this sounds kind of an unusual request, but your opponent
(assuming they’re another person, not the CPU) can listen too. As you probably
know, each character makes different ‘sounds’ (sounds like they’re farting or
something, but...) each move they use, Hayabusa being no exception. Listening
can be the key to countering, hence victory. And sure, you only play for the
fun... but victory is damn sweet.
Arenas and Hayabusa:
Okay. Two of Hayabusa’s best arenas are the X Octagon and the Lost World. Why,
you ask? X Octagon because he can play Superman off the walls, totally
bamboozling your opponent. Quite fun, actually, especially if you get a corner
of the arena, then you can go back and forth. Woo hoo!
Lost World was an arena invented for Hayabusa-fans, I swear. The Izuna is a
necessary thing if you want to do well, however. An Izuna off the edge does a
heap. The throw does 120, same as high counter normal Izuna. Can do up to 160
off the edge on high counter.
The counters. Ah hah. The throw and the low punch counter have to be done with
Hayabusa not on the edge to get your opponent off, but the high and middle
punch counters have to be done with Hayabusa on the side of the edge to get off.
Now, Bass has a move that gets them off with the same damage as the throw. But
not one so versatile as the Izuna. With there being four different ways to
launch them off, you can’t go wrong. Just be careful not to get knocked over
the edge if you’re trying to lure them over. ^_^
________________________
3c: Frequently asked questions
________________________
A few questions I’ve been asked recently: (Some are admittedly more important
and useful to the game then others)
- Who does Hayabusa work best with?
This is purely based on your opinion and who you work best with. For me, I
interchange between Kasumi, Hayate, Ayane and Leifang as my second character in
tag team, but it really depends on what fighting style you prefer and which one
is more fluid.
- Are you like, obsessed with Hayabusa or something?
You’ve ever read any of my fanfics then you should know the answer to that
question. If you haven’t, one word sums it up best: YES. Tecmo shouldn’t
neglect the guy characters so badly... they’re damn cool, too! Excluding a
few... I won’t even start ranting here, because I’ll be going forever.
- Do you think Ryu dies in Ninja Gaiden on Xbox?
(Blame my friend for this question, she asked it… damn frequently, too, so I’ll
answer it for her benefit)
In the cut-scene, he looked rather... umm... dead. So I’d say yes. And hell,
who wouldn’t be if they got sliced up like that? And besides, he definitely
dies if I’m the one playing Ninja Gaiden... haha!
- What are Hayabusa’s weaknesses as a DOA character?
Fighting wise? Actually, Hayabusa is a pretty well-rounded character. He’s
fast, nowhere near the fastest, but certainly not the slowest. His moves are
powerful, not as powerful as some, but far more powerful then others (although
every character can initiate a KO no problemo). He’s well-rounded, but has a
few things that make him stand out from everybody else. His weaknesses lie with
fighting against specific characters, as opposed to general weaknesses.
- Curio shop? Eh?
Curio = curiosity. Although, playing the game in Japanese refers to it as an
antique shop, as it does in DOA. So a shop with old, interesting things in it.
Like, umm... I can’t think of anything off the top of my head. I was about to
say Gen-Fu, but...
- Umm, what’s with his quotes? My dog’s backside makes more sense then those!
Don’t blame me, blame Tecmo! Generally, the translations for Hayabusa’s quotes
are fairly accurate. Unlike Ein’s... (what a feeling = good vibration)
Hayabusa’s are somewhat cliché, but still sound cool. And not once does he
big-note himself. That’s good.
- Please tell me. What is the deal with his hair? Is he trying to look like a
girl or just kind of accidentally pulling it off?
Firstly, I happen to like his hair a lot! But seriously, in Japanese culture,
especially for something like a ninja clan, the longer the hair indicates how
wise the person is. Long hair = age (in some cases) = wisdom. So basically,
he’s smart. I guess that’s why he keeps it so long, so people think he’s
intelligent. Damn, doesn’t work with me...
And the vote is still 5-3 for Hayate looking more feminine then Hayabusa. So,
there you go, useless random knowledge. ^_^
- Was your first character Hayabusa?
Definitely not. My first character (like most people) was Kasumi. Then moved
onto Ein shortly after (I noticed the chest, I swear!) and then switched to
Hayabusa for reasons I cannot remember no matter how hard I try. And I’ve
stayed with him for a long time. Go Ryu!
________________________
4a: Credits etc.
________________________
Well… credit has to go to Tecmo for making this game in the first place. And
for making such a cool, great, cute and wonderful character as Ryu Hayabusa in
the first place. Even though it was a mostly guy-orientated game, they threw in
some eye candy for the gals. Thanks, Tecmo!
Secondly, thanks has to go to a certain person who got me started on playing
DOA in the first place. Thanks ^_^ You know who you are, right?
Thirdly, thanks go to both Han and Lexy for reading and proof-reading Snob
School (a long DOA fanfic). Not quite relevant, but thanks all the same. If you
didn’t read it, I wouldn’t have time to write this FAQ, would I? *Grin*
Thanks also go to you, for reading this in the first place. Hope it helped!
Email me at
[email protected] with any queries or anything; just don’t
send anything stupid, because otherwise it’ll go into my delete folder before
you can say ‘anchovies’.
(Why anchovies? What's so bad about anchovies?)
Now go out, and kick butt with Hayabusa! Yeah!
~ Kurmoi
