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FIRE PROWRESTLING D CHARACTER GUIDE: KAZUSHI SAKURABA
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Version 1.1
by Bill Wood (
[email protected])
Last modified: 7/24/02
Fire ProWrestling D (c) 2001 Spike/VAiLL
NOTE: This guide views and prints best with a monospace typeface.
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==VERSION HISTORY==
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1.1 - Minor corrections.
1.0 - Initial release of the guide.
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==TABLE OF CONTENTS==
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SECTION 1: HISTORY OF KAZUSHI SAKURABA
SECTION 2: SKILL AND PARAMETER STATS
SECTION 3: MOVELIST
SECTION 4: SHOOT FIGHTING IN FIRE PRO D
SECTION 5: STRATEGY
SECTION 6: CLOSING
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==SECTION 1: HISTORY OF KAZUSHI SAKURABA==
==========================================
The Japanese mixed martial arts promotion PRIDE is widely considered
to be the premier fighting organization in the world today. Featuring
a diverse roster of fighters with equally diverse backgrounds, PRIDE
martial arts contests are usually anything but boring. Muay Thai vs.
pro wrestling, jujitsu vs. boxing, PRIDE takes the reality fighting
concept to the next level with unrivalled production and flair.
Although Rickson Gracie was successful in his early PRIDE bouts, it
was soon discovered that Brazilian jujitsu was no longer the
unstoppable force that it was in the early days of UFC. Amazingly
enough it was Japanese pro wrestlers that now enjoyed major success
in the reality fighting arena. Wrestlers such as Kazuyuki Fujita (the
heir apparent of "Inoki-ism") enjoyed newfound success and popularity
in PRIDE.
One major star that emerged in the early years of PRIDE was UWF
International wrestler Kazushi Sakuraba. Sakuraba (or "Saku" as he's
known to his fans) may very well be the most entertaining personality
ever to compete in mixed martial arts. After all, how many UFC fights
have you seen where the fighter attempts a cartwheel into a submission
hold, or playfully spanks his opponent while grappling on the ground?
And who can forget the dreaded Mongolian chop?
But entertaining the fans doesn't mean anything in PRIDE unless you
have the wins to back it up, and Saku is also one of the promotion's
more successful fighters. In the PRIDE Grand Prix 2000 tournament he
fought jujitsu legend Royce Gracie for an hour and a half (!) until
Gracie's corner finally threw in the towel. Amazingly, Saku fought one
round of the next stage of the tournament (on the same night!) against
the hard punching Igor Vovchanchyn before succumbing to exhaustion.
After defeating the previously unstoppable Gracie jujitsu (not only
did he defeat Royce, he also beat Royler, Renzo and Ryan Gracie), Saku
earned the nickname "Gracie Hunter". Then at PRIDE 13 he suffered a
crushing defeat at the hands of Wanderlei "Axe Murderer" Silva, one of
PRIDE's most intense and dangerous fighters. A rematch at PRIDE 17
would yield the same results, causing fans to wonder if the great
Sakuraba mystique was lost forever. Meanwhile the menacing Silva went
on to become the PRIDE middleweight champion.
As of this writing, Saku's big comeback is right around the corner,
and PRIDE fans will once again be rooting for him to pull out another
amazing and supremely entertaining match!
Here are a few websites with more Saku info if you're interested:
http://www.sakuraba39.com
http://www.sherdog.com/fightfinder/displayfighter.cfm?fighterid=84
http://www.netasia.net/users/sgc_wdi/sakuraba/
http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Guild/5750/S/sakuraba.html
http://www.ufighting.com/profile/profile.php?ID=24
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==SECTION 2: SKILL AND PARAMETER STATS==
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SKILL
-----
Real Name...............Kazushi Sakuraba
FPD Name................Kazuki Kashiwada
Promotion.......................PRIDE FC
FPD Promotion..........Gruesome Fighters
Size...............................Small
Class...............................Free
Height............................180 cm
Weight.............................85 kg
Country............................Japan
Birthdate......................7/14/1969
Stance.........................Mix Style
Offensive Skill.................Grappler
Return Skill....................Grappler
Critical Type.................Submission
Special Skill................Abandonment
Recovery..........................Medium
Recovery (when bleeding)............Slow
Respiratory........................Above
Respiratory (when bleeding).......Medium
Awareness.........................Strong
Awareness (when bleeding).........Medium
Neck Strength.....................Medium
Arm Strength......................Medium
Waist Strength....................Medium
Foot Strength.....................Medium
Movement Speed......................Fast
Ascend Speed........................Slow
Ascend Skill...............Cannot Ascend
PARAMETER - OFFENSE PARAMETER - DEFENSE
------------------- -------------------
Punch.............7 Punch.............7
Kick..............7 Kick..............8
Suplex............5 Suplex............3
Submission.......10 Submission........9
Stretch...........8 Stretch...........9
Power.............2 Flying............4
Instant-P.........7 Crush.............2
Arm Power.........2 Vs Lariat.........2
Technical........10 Technical.........9
Rough.............7 Rough.............7
Ground...........10 Ground...........10
TOTAL SKILL POINTS (on a scale from 0-300): 242
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==SECTION 3: MOVELIST==
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NOTE: This movelist is my direct translation of the Japanese Fire Pro
D Player's Guide, there may be some minor errors. If I was unable to
translate, I looked up the move in Edit Mode.
KEY
---
[S]..................Specialty move
[F]........................Finisher
[C].......this move can "Critical!"
[M]..............results in a mount
[B].........results in a back mount
STRIKES
-------
Standing (X)..................................Low Kick
Standing (A)...............................Middle Kick
Standing (B) + d-pad.....................Combination 3
Standing (B).....................................Sobat
Standing (X) + (A)...................Double Leg Tackle [M]
Running (X)...............................Low Dropkick
Running (A)..........................Double Leg Tackle [M]
Running Counter (X)........................Back Switch
Running Counter (A)...........Flying Crucifix Arm Lock [C]
Running to corner.................................none
GRAPPLES
--------
Grapple (X)...................................Low Kick
Grapple (X) + Up.........................Shoulder Toss
Grapple (X) + Left/Right.............Double Knee Lifts
Grapple (X) + Down...................SINGLE LEG TACKLE [S][M]
Grapple (A).............................Mongolian Chop
Grapple (A) + Up.................Belly-to-Belly Suplex
Grapple (A) + Left/Right.............Double Arm Suplex
Grapple (A) + Down..............Machine Gun Knee Lifts
Grapple (B)........................Back Roll Neck Lock [C]
Grapple (B) + Up..............Flying Crucifix Arm Lock [C]
Grapple (B) + Left/Right..........Backspin Combination
Grapple (B) + Down..........Victory Crucifix Knee Hold [C]
Grapple (X) + (A)....................Sobat Combination
Back Grapple (X)..............................Leg Trip
Back Grapple (A)..................Kick to Back of Knee
Back Grapple (B)......................Rear Naked Choke [C]
Back Grapple (B) + Up/Down......Machine Gun Knee Lifts
Back Grapple (B) + Left/Right.......German Suplex Whip
Back Grapple (X) + (A)................go to Back Mount [B]
Back Grapple Counter (X)......................Arm Lock [C]
Back Grapple Counter (A)..............ROLLING ARM LOCK [F][C]
OPPONENT DOWN MOVES
-------------------
Opponent Face Up at Head (A)......CHICKENWING ARM LOCK [S][C]
Opponent Face Up at Head (B)...............go to Mount [M]
Opponent Face Up at Feet (A)......Achilles Tendon Hold [C]
Opponent Face Up at Feet (B)..................Low Kick
Opponent Face Down at Head (A)...........Choke Sleeper [C]
Opponent Face Down at Head (B).......Crucifix Arm Lock [C]
Opponent Face Down at Feet (A)..............Ankle Lock [C]
Opponent Face Down at Feet (B)........go to Back Mount [B]
Running at Downed Opponent (B)..............Foot Stomp
MOUNT MOVES
-----------
Mount Position (X)................Mount Mongolian Chop
Mount Position (A)..............Counter Elevated Punch
Mount Position (B)...........................Heel Hold [C]
Mount Position Counter........................ARM LOCK [S][C]
Front Facelock Attack (X).................Body Punches
Front Facelock Attack (A)............Double Arm Suplex
Front Facelock Attack (B).............go to Back Mount [B]
Front Facelock Attack Counter........Double Leg Tackle [M]
Back Mount Position (X).............Back Mount Punches
Back Mount Position (A)...............Rear Naked Choke [C]
Back Mount Position (B)......ROLLING CRUCIFIX ARM LOCK [S][C]
Back Mount Position Counter............Cross Knee Hold [C]
POST AND APRON MOVES
--------------------
Post (X)..........................................none
Post (A)..........................................none
Post (B)..........................................none
Post (X) + (A)....................................none
Run-Up Post vs Standing (X).......................none
Run-Up Post vs Downed (A).........................none
Corner Grapple (B) + Up..............Corner Punch Rush
Corner Grapple (B) + Left/Right......Corner Body Blows
Corner Grapple (B) + Down.............Corner Knee Lift
Front Avalanche Counter.........................Shouda
Back Avalanche Counter..................Backhand Elbow
Apron Grapple from inside.........................Hook
Apron Grapple from outside........................Hook
Running to out of bounds..........................none
Slingshot to outside..............................none
Slingshot to inside...............................none
DOUBLE AND TRIPLE TEAM MOVES
----------------------------
Two Platon Front Grapple....................W.Dropkick
Two Platon Back Grapple.....................W.Backdrop
Two Platon Corner..................Highjack Piledriver
Three Platon Front Grapple.............Triple Beatdown
Three Platon Back Grapple..............Triple Beatdown
Three Platon Corner....................Triple Beatdown
PERFORMANCE
-----------
Analog Stick Left....................Bows respectfully
Analog Stick Right.................."Bring it!" motion
Analog Stick Up......................Raises both fists
Analog Stick Down.......................Jumping Splits
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==SECTION 4: SHOOT FIGHTING IN FIRE PRO D==
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Because shoot fighters are such a unique class of fighter in Fire Pro
D, I will outline the pros and cons of using them in what is primarily
a pro wrestling game before we discuss Sakuraba's strategy:
PROS OF SHOOT FIGHTING IN FIRE PRO D:
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* Knowing the Fire Pro D shoot grapple system puts you at an
advantage versus opponents that don't
* Because shooters usually can "Critical!" opponents with a
variety of submission holds or strikes, they can end a match
quicker than most professional wrestlers
* Shooters work well from the mount position, most professional
wrestlers don't
* High defensive stats vs. Submission and Stretch means shooters
won't easily submit to holds
CONS OF SHOOT FIGHTING IN FIRE PRO D:
------------------------------------
* Higher learning curve as you will need to perfect the timing of
shoot grapples and mounts
* On average, you will need to win more grapples to have success
in a shoot match
* Shooters are poorly-equipped defensively versus both heavy and
junior pro wrestlers (generally low defensive stats vs. Flying,
Crush and Lariat)
* Shooters can't perform high-flying moves or other moves that
take advantage of the wrestling ring
Basically, if you're up to the challenge of mastering the learning
curve of shoot fighting in Fire Pro D, you will be rewarded with a
whole new aspect of gameplay.
SHOOT FIGHTING BASICS
There are three main shoot positions in Fire Pro D: mount, back mount
and front facelock. Here is a brief description of these positions,
along with their grapple timing:
MOUNT - The opponent is on the ground face up. The attacker mounts
him, straddling his torso. The timing for the mount grapple is just
after the attacker leans his torso back and is preparing his attack.
BACK MOUNT - The opponent is on the ground face down. The attacker
mounts him, straddling his lower back. The timing for the back mount
grapple is just after the attacker raises his fists and is preparing
his attack.
FRONT FACELOCK - This is the rarest of shoot positions, and the
easiest to master as far as timing goes. The front facelock is
basically a counter to a mount attempt. The mount is countered by
grabbing the attacker's torso when he is coming in for the shoot.
The timing for the front facelock grapple is when the fighter that
is countering slams his opponent to the mat. (NOTE: In MMA fighting,
the front facelock position is commonly known as a "sprawl".)
You'll need to learn timing of each of these instances to master shoot
fighting. Play against another shooter on Level 1 CPU difficulty and
practice your timing over and over until it becomes as instinctive as
regular Fire Pro grappling.
LEARNING THE MOUNT SYSTEM WITH KAZUSHI SAKURABA
If you're using Sakuraba to learn the mount system, here's a helpful
hint; go to Victory Road and start a new game (Jr. or Heavy). Choose
the New Japan (View Japan) roster first. Now try to win each match
using these three moves as your main offense:
From a standing position: (X) + (A)
From a grapple: (X) + Down
From a back grapple: (X) + (A)
Each will result in a mount attempt. Once you have the mount, use any
followup you want. If the opponent sprawls on you, practice that
button timing as well. Since Victory Road opponents start at Level 1
difficulty and gradually increase, your timing will be forced to
improve with subsequent matches. I've found this to be the best way to
learn the Fire Pro D mount system.
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==SECTION 5: STRATEGY==
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NOTE: Please review Section 4 before continuing to this section!
GENERAL STRATEGY
Just by checking Saku's stats, you can see he's up there with the FPD
elite with 242 skill points. He's without a doubt the most effective
shootfighter in FPD, so if you want to master this aspect of the game,
Kazushi Sakuraba makes a great fighter to begin with.
Saku can take an incredible amount of punishment, unless that
punishment comes in the form of a power-based pro wrestler such as
Vader or Jumbo Tsuruta. Only here is Sakuraba ill-equipped, as his
Crush and Lariat defenses are pretty low. If you're up against one of
these guys, take 'em down for the mount to turn the tide in your
favor!
As mentioned above, a big part of Sakuraba's strategy involves ground
fighting and submissions, so you'll definitely want to brush up on
your mount game in Fire Pro D while mastering him. Always keep in mind
that a submission hold can yield a very early "Critical!", so a quick
mount into a Heel Hold can end a match in seconds.
Also, emphasis should be put on entertainment. Although Saku is
serious about winning, he also wants to make sure the fans get a good
show. Pull out all the stops and use his flashier moves, especially if
you know the match is in your hands!
One thing you should know; don't use Saku if you like climbing the
turnbuckle and pulling off high-flying moves. He has no top rope moves
in his arsenal, so don't even try it! =P
Perhaps the best thing about Kazushi Sakuraba is that he is equally at
home in both the wrestling ring and the MMA ring (or the Octagon if
you prefer). This easily makes him Fire Pro D's most complete fighter.
STRIKES
With offensive Punch and Kick stats at 7, you know Saku is more than
ready to play the stand-up game if need be. The timing of the Middle
Kick is easy and should be used often. Also, use the Combination 3
[(B) + d-pad] when your opponent is walking in for the grapple.
Your main strike, however, is not a strike at all. The (X) + (A)
strike move is the Double Leg Tackle (or shoot, if you prefer).
Opponents can get frustrated if you use this move a lot, and if you've
been practicing your mount timing, you are immediately in a favorable
position. Combo the shoot into a Heel Hold (B) when're you're serious
about winning the match, or the Mongolian chop (X) or Elevated Punches
(A) if you want to entertain the fans.
GRAPPLES
From the start, your number one grapple move with Saku is the (X) +
Down Single Leg Tackle. Again, your experience with the mount will
give you the upper hand here. See the "Strikes" section for combo
information.
Other than the Single Leg Tackle, Saku is rather thin on effective
grapples until he reaches his (B) moveset. Here he has a few
submission holds that can really put the hurt on an opponent, namely
the Back Roll Neck Lock, the Flying Crucifix Arm Lock and the Victory
Crucifix Knee Hold. Personally I prefer the latter just because I've
seen Sakuraba make opponents tap out to leg submissions in real life.
From a back grapple, you have two really good choices; the Rear Naked
Choke, which can "Critical!" (and which Saku has actually used to
submit opponents), and the Back Mount. If you're playing against
another player that doesn't know the ground game, the Back Mount can
frustrate them as the timing for a reversal can be tricky.
ON THE MAT
To put it bluntly, if your opponent is lying down on the mat, he is in
trouble. With five submissions to choose from in this position, Saku
works extremely well here. If you're having trouble with the mount in
the match, switch up your strategy to putting your opponent down on
the mat and using Sakuraba's awesome arsenal of submission holds.
FINISHER
Sakuraba's finisher is done from a back grapple counter, which is
great if you happen to be playing the CPU. You see, the CPU AI is
often fond of picking your dazed body up off the mat to attempt a back
grapple. If your opponent happens to be human (assuming he knows
Saku's finisher), he may not be so eager to do this. In that case,
forget about seeing it happen!
It's also worth noting that nearly all of Saku's finisher/specialty
moves are arm locks. If you've ever seen him nearly tear Royler
Gracie's shoulder from its socket or grotesquely dislocate Renzo
Gracie's elbow, you'll know why. =)
======================
==SECTION 6: CLOSING==
======================
In closing, I would like to thank:
* ViperMask, who borrowed my formatting for his great Tiger Mask FAQ.
In return I borrowed some of his! =) He also posted the official
Saku website (www.sakuraba39.com) on the FPD message board.
* www.pridefc.com for historical reference.
* www.gswf.org for Skill and Parameter stats.
* CJayC and GameFAQs for hosting this guide.
Fire ProWrestling D Character Guide: Kazushi Sakuraba
(c)2002 Bill Wood
