Date: Fri, 7 May 1999 13:15:33 -0400 (EDT)

King of Fighters '98 Character Summary

By Shingo


GENERAL CHARACTER INFO

OK, these rankings are based on my opinions, and if you have any flames, I don't
mind getting into a character debate. My e-mail is the same one as the one I put
in my Blue Mary FAQ ([email protected]). This FAQ is mainly based on my views as
an experienced player with many of the characters and as a watcher of some of
the top players in my area. People who could kick my sorry @$$ back and forth
with one character.

MOST USED TOP 10

1. Blue Mary: Ok, it may seem weird that Blue Mary is at the top of the list,
but honestly, it's true. Blue Mary is extremely versatile and quite powerful.
Even though she was weakened since 97, she still remains one of the all time
greatest due to her insane combos and (if it's your style) she gains some
serious points to place your name in the high score.

2. Goro Daimon: Due to his bugs and his major increase in power, Goro is very
powerful. 2 SDM's and it's over, no matter what. Some good SDM combos with Goro.
I personally would never use Goro, since I find he is WAY too overpowered, and
that isn't exactly my style, though it once was when Iori '96 was the best.

3. Real Bout Terry Bogard: This version of Terry is actually quite powerful. You
can connect fwd+a to a Slide Kick, as opposed to Terry 98 fwd+a to a Power
Charge. The Slide Kick is more powerful anyway, and it IS comboable into a
Rising Tackle. A good character indeed.

4. Ryo Sakazaki: This version of Ryo is more of a powerful character than his
'95 counterpart. You don't need the distance with his fireballs, all you need
are some serious combos. The stun punch SDM is too good. He also has the
unblockable command 'throw' and a counter punch that has very good priorty.

5. Shermie: Unbelivably, she is used quite well in my area. She has the amazing
ability to take down 75% health with her Shermie Flash SDM. She has an
unblockable air grab, and she has that one cheap hit after most of her command
throws.

6. Kyo Kusanagi: Of course! If the hero of the game wasn't in the top 10,
something would've been wrong. Because of his really cheap EXTRA style, he's
played often. Without that cheap style, he's still a good character and many DM
combos come with this character.

7. Choi Bounge: Some serious insanity here! Not many people use Choi because of
the incredible amounts of skill it takes to pull some of his most deadly combos,
but he's played enough by people to be in the top 10. Drill claw x4 at an upward
angle, once you land, you have enough time to do the Hurricane SDM, and it will
connect!

8. Ralf Jones: Some of Ralf's combos are unbelievably funny, and powerful
indeed. Galactica Phantom SDM rocks and Lateral Kick connected to Ralf
Blitzkrieg SDM seriously looks painful. Ralf overall has good power too.

9. Vice: Fast, fast throws. Many comboable moves and that special command grab
'Mithen's Robe' after a certain 2 moves. She would've been better if only she
had some better combos and a better DM. Withering Surfaces sort of bites unless
playing some scrubs. Negative Gain is too powerful and easily comboable.

10. Andy Bogard: The 98 version of Andy is so much better than the Real Bout
version. Fast and mobile, he has many combos that can eat away your health. The
Super Sonic Swirl SDM after a Dam Breaker Combo is the key combo with Andy. His
Comet Arrow Blast is too slow, but it's comboable anyway, making it pretty good.

LEAST USED TOP 10

1. Chang Koehan: Although big, and pretty slow, he's not so bad. No one likes to
use him except the scrubs and cheap the computer with the Whirling Ball and
Chain. He has combos, but not a single DM combo. By far, the worst character.

2. Brian Battler: He has ONE major combo, but it takes way too much skill and
mad timing to pull it off. Also, most of his moves lag him too much. He would've
been first, except his Tackle DM drains like mad, and his tackle can absorb
Ralf's Galactica Phantom. He also has no DM combos.

3. Heidern: His charge moves stink and his Storm Bringer can't drain enough from
players. Unconnectable Storm Bringer as well. His Neck Roller makes him too
open. If you do his Final End SDM after a fwd+b, it's comboable, which is why
he's not second or first, but third.

4. Chizuru Kagura: Although she has some mad combos, she's never used. She has
many confusing moves, which often confuse the player as much as the opponent.
She also has moves which leave her open to attacks if blocked/missed. One of her
DM's takes too long to come out unless you have the skill to place it right
after the other DM.

5. Chris: The regular version of Chris isn't bad, IMO, but no one seems to like
him. His Position Switch move isn't great, it can be seen coming away. His DM's
are pretty weak too, comboed or not. His teleport saves him often and he has
good moves which play mind games.

6. Real Bout Andy: The Dam Breaker Combo is gone, and he has a large recovery
frame for his Dragon Bullet. His Da Dan Dan DM could've been better and his
Windmill Punch is weaker. Other than that, he has high strength and his Da Dan
Dan DM is comboable anyway. He's still a strong character.

7. Mature: A drainer. Still doesn't make up for her lack of strength. She has DM
combos, but they're a bit hard to connect. Her Ebony Tears REALLY could've been
better if you were going to give an 'Orochi' type a fireball. The motion is
long, the lag time is huge, she could've been better. But still, her uppercut
has good priority and she has very fast basic moves.

8. Real Bout Mai Shiranui: No one uses her, in fact, I'm not so sure people
think she exists. If it weren't for the fact that her Super Deadly Ninja Bees DM
is comboable and strong, she would've been higher than this. She plays just like
the other Mai without the Fan Dance.

9. '94 Joe Higashi: His TNT punch is different than his 98 versions, he has NO
DM combos and he's lost the Golden Heel, a key to playing cheap with Joe. His
Tornado goes across the screen, but it has higher lag time and there's no second
Tornado. But all you really need is the combo involving the Slash Kick. Still,
no one uses him.

10. Billy Kane (any version): His new juggle kick is stylish, and it's comboable
into the Fire Spin DM, but the kick can sometimes leave them far away from you.
His staff extend takes too long, and if you do the uppercut, there is some major
lag in there. His rapid attacks are too weak. He still has some nice combos that
can be improved. Just no one uses him.

THE CHARACTERS IN BETWEEN

'95 Kyo Kusanagi: One massive juggle combo, and one massive DM combo similar to
the one used by the '98 version. This character plays just as well as the other
version of Kyo, but people seem to like his fire punches better than his
fireballs.

Benimaru Nakuaido: His One-hand Bridge Collidor is better. His fireball sucks
now but at least it drains nicely. His triple kick has serious lag time, but his
regular uppercut is pretty good, can't be jumped over. His knee thrust is mostly
useless. His command throw is WEAK. His fwd+b is blockable. His air-fireball is
a good asset, since it pushes people away enough to let you land safely.  He's a
pretty average character.

'98 Terry Bogard: As mentioned above, he's pretty good. Too bad you can't do the
Power Charge after fwd+A, but his uppercut has a better counter priority and he
can at least do a Power Kaiser after the Power Charge.

'95 Ryo Sakazaki: His fireball covers the distance of the screen, but leaves him
a bit open. The only really outstanding thing about this character is that his
uppercut has practically no lag frames compared to his '98 self.

'98 Robert Garcia: Plays a bit worse than in '97. Can't connect fwd+b into his
Tornado Kick. His fireball has a bit more priority again and his Backflip Kick
has better vertical range, but leaves him wide open to a charge DM or a screen
wide fireball.

'95 Robert Garcia: Plays almost like '95 Ryo. His old Tornado Kick leaves him
wide open, and is insanely weak, but at least it's comboable into fwd+b. His
Dragon Dance DM does less damage than Ryo's for some reason.

'98 Yuri Sakazaki: She plays a lot better than in '97. She's also got DM's that
deal mad damage. Her Phoenix Kick hurts and is comboable.  Her Tornado Kick
doesn't have as much lag, neither does her flying knuckle. Her double uppercut
lost strength, but her Reppa Uppercut DM gained some.

'95 Yuri Sakazaki: A goddess. Her new *unblockable* close range super (name
unknown) does 50% damage as a DM! Even more as an SDM! She has her old air
fireball which is done on the ground and her fireball travels screen distance.
She doesn't have her double uppercut but she has her Mirror Shield, a not so bad
air counter.

Leona: Some nice new moves, and some serious DM combos. Her Dynamite DM deals
mad damage. I like her new earring grenade. It's hardly noticable when it's out
in the screen, but if they see Leona acting funny, sometimes people are smart
enough to block.

Clark Steel: Lost some strength since '97. His Bulldog DM lost serious speed and
priority. He has a fwd+b but it takes some serious skill to use it in a combo.
He has his old Backbreaker back, which is a nice touch.

Athena Asimaya: Her fwd+b is better, since you can combo her Shining Crystal DM
into it, and her
Psycho Sword. Her old Reflector is better than the '96 reflector, since the '96
reflector lost some major strength. Her Phoenix Arrow stills deals heavy damage.

Sie Kensou: His new style with his command 'throw' makes him better because you
can connect a Dragon Fang after it. Too bad you can't connect his Rising Dragon
DM into it. His Dragon Burst DM lost big damage since '97 and his Mighty Bun DM
is still too damn useless.

Chin Chentsai: He got his old water sake blast back, which is a very nice air-
counter. His Fire God Sake Flame DM can juggle opponents in the corner and his
Rolling Punch has more priority than ever, plus, some people can't hit you out
of it. Two words: Drunken Dance.

'98 Mai Shiranui: Her Fan Dance lost major power and priority this year. Her
Triple Fan DM has less of a spacing this year, so you can super jump over the
entire DM if timed correctly. Her Fire Wheel DM can be blocked when hit from
behind this year.

King: Her Tornado Kick lost major damage, and can no longer be done after Silent
Flash DM unless the opponent is cornered. Her Silent Flash DM is still one of
the strongest DM's in the game. Her Trap Shot does more damage too, and her
Mirage Kick has a bit more priority.

Kim Kaphwan: His Ground Buster seems useless to me, except that it can absorb
fireballs, but it's too weak as a comboable move. It takes mad skill to juggle
the opponent in the air with his head stomp. Neither DM got weakened, nor did it
gain any more damage. Still has his old '97 DM combo, which always gets mad
applause when done.

Yashiro Nanakase: Yashiro rocks. His Final Impact DM when charged to the max
rules, plus it's comboable into A, A, B, B combos. His counter uppercut has more
priority than many other moves and his Hammer Punch hits earlier than '97. His
Million Bash Stream DM got weakened, even after you do maximum hits.

Orochi Yashiro: O. Yashiro got weaker. His One-handed Slam DM got a serious
weakening. His other DM gained a lot more power, but it must be done from far
away now. His running turn-about command 'throw' can grab out of roll, too.

Orochi Shermie: O. Shermie practically got nothing new since '97. Her Thunder
Fist DM got weaker, but her Thunder Kick DM does more damage. She gained a few
new combos, but that makes no difference, she's still incredibly weak and it's
amazing that she's not in the least used 10.

Orochi Chris: Lost his 100% since '97 since his command 'throw' goes too fast to
combo the Serpent Wave DM. His Leaping Flame hits earlier, much like Yashiro's
Hammer Punch. He's still a strong character, nonetheless. His fireball is the
best in the game, next to Omega Rugal's.

Ryuji Yamazaki: Both of his DM's gained massive amounts of power. For both, you
must mash the buttons in order to deal max damage. His counter can no longer be
blocked when hit from the air, and his axe-dust kick looks brutal. Too bad he no
longer has his unlimited combo.

Iori Yagami: Lost power since '97 and '96. He has lost his frontal combo with
the command 'throw', but he still has it when done from behind (jump over
opponent, holding back+b). His SDM is one of the weaker DMs in the game, but his
new Leaping Flame gives him much more style and a new offensive strategy, since
it can go through fireballs.

Saisyu Kusanagi: It's good that he's back since '95. He's gained a few new
moves, and with it, some good combos. His new super is kind of weak, but it
looks pretty good, and it's comboable. His Serpent Wave comes out faster than
Kyo's, which is helpful.

Takuma Sakazaki: Mr. Karate, what can I say? With no uppercut, he certainly is a
useful character. He has his old '94 combo and his new DM is unblockable, but
weak, even when you've mashed all the buttons to get max damage from the DM. His
fireball travels a bit higher than Ryo's or Robert's, which means people must
jump earlier to avoid it. His counter is one of the best in the game, but it can
be stopped by people who have fast 2-hit attacks, such as Blue Mary, or by
someone who throws.

Heavy D!: Against the computer, Heavy D! can kick. Once you've knocked down the
opponent, with the right timing, the Soul Flame will knock them back down,
repeat it for an easy victory. His Dancing Beat (powered) hurts when coupled
with the D! Magnum SDM, which totally rocks Omega Rugal's attacks. Unfortunetly,
Heavy D! doesn't have a lot of attacks which give him distance. Good for
characters who like to play on a close offensive.

Lucky Glauber: His Cyclone Kick is weak, but his Knee Kick is pretty good. It
hits high and knocks people up into the air too. His teleport is extra fast, and
his multiple basketball tactics are very good for playing mind games. His Lucky
Driver DM deals serious damage, and contrary to popular belief, it IS comboable
after a fwd+b.

Rugal Bernstein: Rugal is good, but nothing in comparison to his Omega version.
His reflector is good since it still is pretty much the ONE move you need with
him. His Kaiser Wave is pretty good for mind games, but it's slow to come out.
His new Dead End Screamer looks too brutal, and is good when done after a Wind
Slash. His Gigantic Pressure lost too much strength, even his SDM is weak. Not
good for a 'god'.

Shingo Yabuki: Major, major increase in power. His 3-hit unblockable command
'throw' is VERY useful. His new counter is laughable, since the opponent must be
VERY close in order for his counter to connect, otherwise you just gain some
distance away from the opponent. His Serpent Punch with C lost it's first hit
unless done in very close quarters. Both his DMs can be done one after the
other, which is still good. His Shingo Kick makes him vulnerable if done too
close, and his triple kick still has that unblockable drop.

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Credits:

My local arcade!! Wooooooooo... thanks for keeping KoF '98 in the area for so
long, and not selling out.

My friend, Wai Lu Ken (BAD). He's the anonymous one in my Blue Mary FAQ, the
same guy that downloaded the vids. Ask him for the video locations, though if I
remember right, the site has gone down. [email protected]

My friend, Billy Kim (the one who made the King FAQ on GameFaqs). I had to test
some of this stuff on SOMEONE, right? ^_^