The King of Fighters 2003
©2003 SNK(Playmore)
Character Guide for Athena by: Queenie Li(aka crazyli)
Version 1.4
Last Updated: 11/22/2005
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-= Table of Contents =-
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I. Introduction
II. Bio
III. Controls
IV. Movelist
V. Combos
VI. Strategy
VII. Quotes
VIII. Bonus: Athena vs. various Bosses
IX. Closing
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-= I. Introduction =-
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Konnichiwa! This is the section where I pretty much ramble on about stuff that
nobody cares about anyway.(lol) I'm writing this whole guide basically because
Athena is my all-time favorite KoF character, and pretty much my favorite of
any video game character. Anyway, I hope you find this guide helpful. Athena is
a fairly easy character to use and if used right, she can cause a lot of havoc
to opponents.
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-= II. Bio =-
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Name: Athena Asamiya
Fighting Style: Kung-fu and psychic powers
Birthplace: Japan
Birthdate: March 14
Age: 18
Blood Type: B
Height: 163cm(that's about 5'4")
Weight: 49kg(that's about 108lbs)
Hobbies: Singing, Astrology
Favorite Food: Ichigo Daifuku
Best Sport: Lacross
Prized Things: Peter Rabbit tea set
Dislikes: Grasshoppers
Now before I continue, some of you not familar with the Japanese culture might
be wondering, "What the heck is Ichigo Daifuku???" Well, Daifuku is a Japanese
snack that's a ball made of rice flour with sweet red bean paste inside. Ichigo
is Japanese for 'Strawberry', so Ichigo Daifuku has strawberry filling instead.
(I personally would rather have chocolate covered daifuku... but this is about
Athena, not me. hehe)
Athena's first game appearance was in a self-titled game way back in 1986. It
was in the arcades and NES, I believe. There was a sequel the following year
only for arcades called "Psycho Solider" in which Kensou also appeared. When
the King of Fighters tournaments began in 1994, Athena entered with her friend
Sie Kensou and his drunken fool of a mentor, Chin Gentsai. So the team has been
there since the beginning with the only change being Bao added in the striker
years. But sadly, SNK-Playmore decided to destroy my favorite team in 2003. :(
Well, enough of this information... I'm sure you want to get to her moves.
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-= III. Controls =-
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f = Foward
b = Back
d = Down
u = Up
df = Down-foward
db = Down-back
uf = Up-foward
ub = Up-back
qcf = Quarter Circle Foward(d,df,f)
qcb = Quater Circle Back(d,db,b)
hcf = Half Circle Foward(b,db,d,df,f)
hcb = Half Circle Back(f,df,d,db,b)
A = Weak Punch
B = Weak Kick
C = Strong Punch
D = Strong Kick
Start = Taunt
AB = Roll Foward
f/b + AB = Roll Foward or Back
BC = Switch to character in position 2
CD = Switch to character in position 3
qcf + BC/CD = Tag combo starter
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-= IV. Movelist =-
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Most of Athena's moves are the same, so if you are familar with her from other
years, you'll do fine. but here are some important changes to note:
-The Psycho Reflector, as in 2002, only works with weak kick now, not strong.
-The Phoenix Fang Arrow's combination changed to one that I feel is easier and
makes more sense. Since the regular is qcb + kick, why not make the DM version
two qcb and a kick?
-Psychic 10 is now an auto combo(YAY! :-D) no more annoying manual input. Just
do the one input and it'll do the first few hits for you. Then one more simple
combination will give you the finisher. Also, there are two new finishers added
and a random selector which is cool.
Throws:
Psychic Throw - b/f + C/D
Psychic Shoot - In air, d/b/f + C/D
Command Moves:
Phoenix Bomb - In air, d + B
Renkantai - f + B
Star Debut - f + AC
Specials:
Psycho Ball - qcb + A/C
Athena's basic projectile. The A version is slower.
Not something to be used too often, but perhaps to keep the opponent away or to
distract them while you move in for a followup attack.
Rating: 5/10
Psycho Reflector - qcb + B
This is move causes Athena to create a barrier of psychic energy which can hit
up close or reflect projectiles.
Don't use this move too much... it doesn't have much use except to punish people
who like to sit back all day and fire projectiles.
Rating: 4/10
Phoenix Arrow - In air, qcb + B/D
Athena rolls into a ball and surrounds herself with psychic energy to come
crashing down on the opponent. The D version adds a kick that aims in the
direction of the enemy.
This is probably the special move I use most. The ending kick a lot of times
throws people off whether you fall short or end up overshooting and come behind
them. It's good to run foward, then jump to use this. They may think that
you're about to do something else. Only problem with the D version is it
getting blocked. The kick at the end makes for horrible recovery time and you
can get sweeped. If your opponent does this a lot, switch to B and then stuff
out a quick crouching C after landing. It should out-prioritilze.
Rating: 7/10
Psycho Sword - f,d,df + A/C (can be done in air)
This is Athena's anti air. Not much range on it, though.
You're probably not going to use this as much for an anti-air as a you would
a combo finisher.
Rating: 5/10
Psychic Teleport - qcf + B/D
Athena spins, and then dash-teleports foward. The D version travels further.
This move isn't very practical unless you want to confuse your opponent every
once in a while. Despite it being called a teleport, you can easily get knocked
out of it by just any attack. If someone sees you start it, they can just
attack you and hit you. It was most useful in 2002 when Psycho Balls had less
recovery time. Then, you could safely teleport after an A version and shoot
out another one right away. You can still try it in '03, but it's not as
effective.
Rating: 4/10
Desperation Moves:
Shining Crystal Bit - hcb,hcb + A/C (can be done in air)
Crystal Shoot - During the Shining Crystal Bit, qcb + A/C
Athena surrounds herself with orbs.(from the game, Psycho Soldier) they can hit
a few times if your opponent runs into them, or can be fired off at the enemy
with qcb + A/C. The A version will shoot directly across, and the C version will
curve upward. If activated in the air, either one will shoot diagonally down.
This move can also be cancelled by pressing ABCD.
This can be a good defensive move, but not something to use too often. Skilled
players will easily avoid it by just rolling when you shoot it off. I've found
that Kyo players can really punish this move by starting an Orochi Nagi right
after you start it, and then letting it off when you go to shoot. In fact, any
character with a DM that you can hold before firing can do the same.
Rating: 4/10
Phoenix Fang Arrow - In Air, qcb,qcb + B/D
Athena does a more powerful version of the Phoenix Arrow that slams into the
opponent multiple times.
This is a decent DM. It can chip fairly but it's best used when cancelled into
from a regular Phoenix Arrow.(which is MUCH easier to do in this game) If you're
looking for chip, Shining Crystal Bit does more anyway.
Rating: 5/10
Leader Desperation Move:
Psychic 10 - hcb,f + AC
Finishers:
Sailor - qcf + P
Pyscho Sword - f,d,df + A/C
Fire Sword - qcb + P
Healing - qcf + AB(takes 1 stock)
Psycho Bomber - qcb + CD(takes 1 stock)
Random - ABCD
Athena dashes at the opponent and does a series of hits while changing into
costumes from previous games and counting from 1 to 8 in Chinese. The finishers
can be performed at any time before she stops attacking, but to get the most
hits, do it right when she says, "ba". For those of you not sure of when to time
your input, just listen to what she's saying. She's counting: yi, er, san, si,
wu, liu, qi, ba. And if you use the random finisher, and it picks the Healing
or Psycho Bomber finishes, you don't lose a stock from it.
This is basically a combination of her Psychic 9 and Psycho Medley from 2002. I
personally just use it for a big flashy finish. Be aware that if you do the
Psycho Bomber finish, it's highly damaging. The rest aren't really worth using
unless you don't have the extra stock to do Psycho Bomber, or your opponent
still has more fighters and you think you can finish off this one without using
the Psycho Bomber.
Rating: 6/10
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-= V. Combos =-
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Combos aren't a thing I'm real big on, but it doesn't matter much in this case,
since Athena's not a character with a lot of combo-ability. but here are a few
things I found while experimenting:
1. d+A/B, f+B, Phoenix Arrow
2. d+A/B, f+B, Pyscho Sword
3. d+A/B, f+B, Fang Arrow
4. d+A/B, f+B, Phoenix Arrow, Fang Arrow
now, you should notice a pattern here... all these combos start out in a similar
fashion. This is because Athena's basically combos stem from her Renkantai
command move. It cancels into various specials. So the most basical combo is to
do a crouching weak attack, then the Renkantai and cancel that into a special
or DM. You can extend this with the fact that the Phoenix Arrow cancels into
the Fang Arrow rather easily, as shown in the last combo.
5. jumping A, Fang Arrow
this is a nice way to see Fang Arrow hit. It's just a shame that this combo
doesn't do as much as it did back in 2001. It's real simple, though and hits
crouchers expecting you to hit low. Best started after a sweep knockdown. If
you have trouble getting it to work, here's two ways to buffer it: 1- to a
qcb+A in the air. this will throw out the jumping A plus do the first qcb for
the Fang Arrow. Then quick do qcb+D. Fang Arrow should come out right after the
A hits. 2- from the ground, hit qcb,uf+A then qcb+D. this one is better for
catching someone off-guard, because the A comes out as soon as you leave the
ground. If you're in the air, they'll probably stand up before you hit, but
starting from the ground reduces that chance.
6. jumping A, C, psychic 10
and this is how you combo into her LDM. If you're not good at jump-in combos,
like me, you can just start with the standing C.(or even a standing D is
possible, but harder) the only thing is, it's easier to get a jumping A in
than a standing C, because people tend to block low more often than high.
If you're gonna use this combo, wait until you have at least 3 stocks, and use
the Psycho Bomber finish. This is the perfect way to see to it that your stocks
are not wasted.
As always, I welcome input from "combo masters" or anyone else who just spends
more time figuring these things out than I do.
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-= VI. Strategy =-
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Athena's a fairly fast character, so I'd suggest using her speed to your
advantage. Always keep moving and keep the opponent guessing. You might be able
to fire projectiles all day against the computer but that won't work against
a skilled opponent. It's sometimes good to lead in with an aerial attack. Since
Athena has the Phoenix Arrow, you should make good use of that. Also, don't
forget that Athena can triangle jump. A good strategy is to escape by jumping
back until you hit the wall, then jump off the wall and come down with a Phoenix
Bomb. You might want to try teleporting to confuse turtlers and get a good hit
in. I don't recommend using the Shinning Crystal Bit often for your DM, unless
you can get people to run into it or you are playing someone inexperienced. The
Crystal Shoot part is too easy to avoid and thus will be a waste of a DM. If you
DO use SCB, you should cancel it with ACBD after it hits. I'd say the best DM in
terms of effectiveness is the Fang Arrow. It's easy to pull when someone isn't
expecting an aerial attack. The Psychic 10 is always good to pull on someone not
expecting it, but is easily blocked and you don't want to waste two whole stocks
If you trap someone in the corner, you might wanna do Shining Crystal Bit. It
chips more than anything else. Also, for jump-ins, you probably don't want to
use her normals. Her Phoenix Bomb command move is good for air battles. Sadly,
Athena, as most characters, lost her jump CD move in 2003, which was her most
effective jump-in move.
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-= VII. Quotes =-
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Intro: Athena teleports in with a microphone and says, "Athena on stage!"
Intro vs Female Fighters: Athena and her friends appear as he friends say,
"Ganbare!"(Good Luck) Athena then turns to face her opponent, saying, "Ikimasu
yo!"(Here I go!)
Performing Crystal Shoot: "Ike!"(Go!)
Performing Psychic 10: "Yi, Er, San, Si, Wu, Liu, Qi, Ba!"(One, Two, Three,
Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight!)
Victory: "Asamiya Athena deshita."(Athena Asamiya was here.)
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-= VIII. Bonus: Athena vs. various bosses =-
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Out of boredom, I decided to add to my guide, giving tips on fighting various
bosses with Athena. Even ones not in kof2003.
vs. Rugal
Rugal is low-end SNK boss, but even those can be pretty cheap. He's got power
and priority, and in 2002 especially, an AI that abuses both. So, how does our
heroine stop Rugal? You're going to have to be defensive. Wait for him to do
something and punish it. Rugal's moves generally have low recovery times, so
you can't often just punish on luck. You have to know exactly when to hit.
Watch his moves closely and observe his pattern. If you think you're good at
volleyball, you can try an A Psycho Ball and when he reflects it, try sending
it back. The computer isn't usually good at keeping that up.
vs. Goenitz
Goenitz is pretty hard... His tornados are a pain. The fight requires much
patience. Wait for him to send out a tornado, and then rush in and attack. He's
much easier when you're in his face, taking away his range. He needs a distance
to really be effective, so don't let him have it. It's unfortunate that Athena
didn't have her command moves in '96. A good thing to hit him with after you
reach him would have been a f+B canceled to Psycho Sword. Oh well. Also, don't
forget that if you time it right, you can just roll the tornados and get up on
him much easier.
vs. Orochi
This one's rather difficult until you get used to the way Orochi's AI works.
He's certainly not the cheapest of bosses, but he's still tricky to figure out.
You may need to just take a few matches to observe him. Watch out for the DM
where he pulls you in. You need to run away from that because if you touch him,
you get damaged. Mainly you have to block while he's attacking, see if you can
avoid his blasts by rolling. Don't ever try firing Psycho Balls at him. That
tiny little pellet it actually a super projectile that will destroy your Psycho
Ball and still damage you!
vs. Krizalid
Krizalid shouldn't be too hard for Athena. Keep your distance and shoot
projectiles. Don't be careless, though. Those Tornado Rings can cancel them and
hit you if you mess up. Though, Psycho Balls can also sometimes go through the
T.Ring and hit him. Jumping around doesn't hurt as long as you don't jump right
at him. He's got a pretty good anti-air. Conserve your meter for the right
moment and then triangle jump at him and Fang Arrow SDM. The AI will most likely
have him go for the anti-air automatically, but you'll be too high from the
triangle jump. Once he whiffs that, he's open to be pelted with the SDM, and it
should deal a good ammount of damage. This fight isn't really that hard as long
as you're cautious.
vs. Fake Zero
Do you really NEED a strategy for Fake Zero? *scratches head* He's pretty easy
for me. I've never actually gotten to fight him with Athena before. My Kensou
always takes him out in the first round before any more can happen.
vs. Original Zero
This is an annoying fight to say the least. He has infinite strikers and
infinite DMs. If he calls Ron in to strike, Ron will guard crush. Do a DM right
after the call, and you'll end up getting your guard broken just to get blasted
by the full screen DM. Believe it or not, the easiest way to beat him is to
spam projectiles. Nevermind the fact that he can shoot them back with his coat.
Athena's safer than most since she can reflect too. Use only A Psycho Ball and
if he DOES shoot it back, get ready to return it again. A lot of times, he'll
do the move early, and get hit by the Psycho Ball. He also often jumps early
and lands into it. All these Psycho Balls should build meter fast. Once he's
down to about 30% or less health, try to see if you can Fang Arrow him. Be
observative, though. You don't want to jump into a DM. It's best to bait out
a coat swipe and punish him with the Fang Arrow on recovery. Oh, and if you're
going to use Athena for this fight, make sure you use ONLY Athena. She's not
going to have the vitality to survive the fight if there's other fighters. She
needs to have three strikers to be strong enough.
vs. Igniz
Igniz is pretty good at keeping you away from him which makes him so hard. He
doesn't need three strikers to keep you at bay, he does it with his specials.
As much as jumping plays into Athena's game normally, DON'T jump. Especially
don't jump at him. His anti-air is mean, and he can cancel it into another.
The best advice I can offer you here is to bait out stuff and make him mess up.
Then you can punish him. It's the basic strategy for fighting SNK bosses when
there's no easier strat.
vs. Geese(KoF EX1)
Believe it or not, you can pretty much play this fight straight up as if you
were fighting any other character. The EX1 version of Geese isn't very much
like a SNK boss at all. He's pretty much just his '96 version which was not
much more than a regular character. Athena's a lot better in this game than '96,
so if you could handle him there, you can handle him here. Just the basic
Athena strategies should work fine. Don't rush, though. You want to be at least
a little more defensive than normal against this guy. You should wait for
openings.
vs. Sinobu
Hey, look everybody! It's Goenitz on crack! The fist encounter with Sinobu
should resemble fighting Goenitz a lot. However, you have an advantage now.
This isn't KoF96's system, it's KoF2000's. That means all that stuff I said
Athena didn't have in '96, she now DOES have. Roll past his stupid tornados
and get near him for a f+B. Then cancel that to a special like Pyscho Sword, or
even a DM if you have the meter. In the second fight, he goes from wind to
lightning, and can shoot out beams now. This is much harder, especially when
you're waiting back for the lightning strike to move foward, and he shoots out
a horizontal blast instead. You can't roll past those, either. This fight
requires a lot more patience. You'll have to try to get over the horizontal
blasts, and do an aerial move to punish his recovery. There's an art to knowing
when to block and when to attack in this fight. Block too long and you'll die.
It only takes about four lightning storm blasts to guard crush you and even
when they are successfully blocked, they still chip far too much. If you let
him spam that on you and just stand there and block, you'll die in less than a
minute. You want to rush him should he ever stop and hope you can get to him
before he starts again. If he should actually come to you, immediately let him
have it and make him pay for his mistake.
vs. Adelhield
Great...it's super Rugal. This kid's got what daddy had, plus an insane ammount
of speed. The one thing I used to rely on against Rugal was being fast enough
to move around and avoid stuff. Adel just ruined that. He's all over the place
in the blink of an eye and makes an overwhelming assult. You'll have to just
expose the AI's flaws here and find moves that they fall sucker to time and
time again. I see no other reasonable way to ensure victory.
vs. Mukai
Yay! Finally, a slow and easy boss. Don't do much until he blows two stocks on
his LDM. Then you're safe from that move at least until he gets to two stocks
again. Use Athena's speed to your advantage, and get jumpy. Jumping over the
rocks and doing a quick Phoenix seems to work well. Just beware of the stone
pillars falling on your head. Also, don't stay close too long, always move away.
He can grab you and turn you to stone, and that's no fun.
vs. Geese(young, Neowave version)
This is a battle, you MUST fight defensively. Wait back and block until he does
something, then you can put your attack in. If you try to attack constantly,
you're going to get hurt. If you're patient, this fight shouldn't be too hard.
vs. Duke
Being defensive helps here too. Smart playing will make this a very easy fight.
MI makes Athena's SCB more effective than ever since you can bounce a person
off a wall like 5 times with it. See if you can combo into it as a counter.
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-= IX. Closing =-
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In closing, I'd like to thank you for taking the time to read this guide. I've
worked hard on it, and I hope that it helps you in some way. I'd also like to
thank gameFAQs.com for hosting this guide so people can read it.
If you have any questions, comments, or anything to add to this guide, please
feel free to contact me by one of the means listed below:
AIM: crazyli825(though it's currently not working properly)
email/MSN:
[email protected]
