The King of Fighters '98 UMFE/Saisyu Kusanagi/Matchups

Matchups

Disclaimer: This page is about the discussion of character matchups, and will inherently contain some writer bias. While the information is useful, it can be slightly inaccurate at times, so please do not take the writing this page as definite fact, unless it discusses frame data or genuine tech such as punishes. If you have any issues, or want to discuss matchups further, the '98 UMFE Discord server is open for discussions, and for Saisyu in particular, there is also the #saisyu-kusanagi channel. Thank you.

Eiji Kisaragi

Severe Disadvantage

Chapter 1: Introducing Eiji Kisaragi

• Welcome to the Eiji matchup. This matchup will suck no matter who you play, with Saisyu being no exception. Eiji's ability to zone and dominate the neutral with his various tools give him a very negative reception from the majority of '98 UMFE players.

• Eiji's gameplan offensively is mostly fine to deal with. He lacks an overhead, proximity unblockable or any sort of long range low, relying on fundamentals, frame traps, regular throws and crossups to open somebody up. After scoring a hard knockdown from his throw, he does gain access to an ambiguous crossup with his teleport, similar to Saisyu's own rolling crossup from 623K, which gives him the ability to perform this sort of mixup while still running Dodge as a system mechanic. Another choice Eiji has from his throw is a meaty Koppagiri, which will give him high amounts of plus frames if connected during the move's final active frames. To conclude, Eiji's most common mixup is an instant overhead j.D from a backwards hop. This is heavily minus on block and on hit, and is mostly reserved for when your health is low enough for it to kill you, however, particularly eager Eiji players will also try this outside of low health situations, forcing you to stay on your toes to avoid taking damage, and to try and punish the instant overhead.

• On the defensive side of things, Eiji is also pretty mediocre. He has pretty strong abare options in 2C, Kasumigiri, cl.D, 2A and teleport, but lacks any sort of invincible reversal. This allows Saisyu to capitalise on the rare moments he does get in, using fundamental KOF offence and Saisyu's plethora of plus frames to beat Eiji down. Eiji has to make the most of guard cancels and evasion to end Saisyu's pressure before he can deliver a devastating mixup, lest he risk losing a significant amount of his health bar.

• However, where Eiji is strongest, and where he gets his reputation from, is his neutral. Eiji's specials control a heavy amount of space, allowing him to zone well and lame out the opponent with ease. These tools have longer recoveries than other traditional zoning tools in exchange for their massive hitboxes and near uncontestable disjoints. This disadvantage doesn't matter nearly as much as you'd think, as the spacing Eiji performs these specials at means that you have to make a direct read in order to try and punish them. Alongside this, his walkspeed is the fastest in the game, with his walking while using Step as a movement option being faster than some runs. This gives Eiji the opportunity to not only use his movement for evasion, but also play footsies incredibly well, especially with f.D being an extremely strong and fast midrange poke. Overcoming Eiji's zoning and speed in neutral requires not only an understanding of his moveset and his weaknesses, but also patience, and a significant amount of reads, as you must make the correct guess in order to evade his zoning tools and avoid being hit.

• The other thing that makes Eiji so hated among '98 UMFE is his projectile super - Zantetsuha. The C version of this super is the fastest projectile in the game, with the ability to punish anything and everything that you can do from the ground or at hop height. This is arguably one of the best supers in the game, alongside EX Mary's M. Escalation install, EX King's Surprise Rose and EX Yamazaki's Guillotine. Due to its speed, damage and utility, an Eiji with meter goes from a top tier character into a god tier character. While in most other KOF games this wouldn't be too bad, as meter is limited, '98 UMFE's Extra mode gives you unlimited supers (with a short delay inbetween) at low health, with an increasingly large red health threshold as you go down the team. An anchor Eiji in an Extra mode team will reach red health at approximately 40%. This gives him a disgustingly large window to gain access to a near unlimited barrage of Zantetsuha, allowing him to completely dominate neutral without a second thought.

• To conclude our introduction, Eiji's zoning tools and projectile super are a cruel combination, making him difficult to fight and difficult to punish. Saisyu especially has a tough time in neutral against him, as the methods he'd normally use in neutral place him exactly where Eiji wants him to be, forcing him to be creative and unconventional in his approaches to make the most out of his offence. This matchup is very tough, and requires patience alongside knowledge to overcome properly.

Chapter 2: Prelude to Agony - System Mechanics

• For your meter, you will want to use Extra gauge, as usual. The best way to punish Eiji for making a mistake or getting predictable is with heavy damage, and Saisyu's Quick MAX punishes are among the best in the game. Charging meter here is also surprisingly a non-issue if Eiji is zoning, as none of his meterless tools hit fullscreen, and luckily, his C Zantetsuha is just about slow enough for you to stop charging and recover in time to block it.

• The choice between Run vs Step here is actually down to personal preference. With Run, Saisyu has a bigger disadvantage in neutral, but a significantly higher advantage on offence as he can use running in his pressure to keep Eiji locked down. With Step, the ability to walk fast without having to risk being unable to block at the start of a run gives you stronger neutral and a better time against zoning, but the nature of Saisyu's step dash means that any sort of pressure is very short-lived, as over-extending will result in you eating one of Eiji's strong abare options.

• For evasion, Roll is the definitive choice in this matchup. Using Dodge only sets you up for more struggle, as the complete lack of forward movement makes trying to get past Eiji's zoning actively worse. Roll allows you to punish a lot of Eiji's moves if done with the correct reactions, such as Kikouhou, Mukuronui (Kunai) and most importantly, C Zantetsuha. Dodge, on the other hand, gives you absolutely zero ground, only giving you the chance to avoid chip damage. Saisyu is also good with Roll in general, using his ambiguous crossup after 623K to loop hard knockdowns. While the general risks of using Roll still apply, there is another knowledge check to look out for here with SDM Zantetsuha. There is actually a second projectile that Eiji throws for this version, which will punish you if you roll the first one. Make sure to avoid rolling in neutral if Eiji has SDM available.

Chapter 3: Instruments of Torture - Eiji's Specials and Supers

• Kikouhou (236P) - Eiji's fireball. You can't see the hitbox in game due to the sprite not being large enough, but it reaches almost fullscreen, and goes to the height of your hop. It has high enough recovery to be punishable if full jumped, but this leaves you vulnerable to Kasumigiri. Only full jump this on a read, and make sure to capitalise on its recovery by gaining some ground on whiff or block.

• Mukuronui (j.236P) - Eiji's air kunai throw. An Eiji that flowcharts often loves this move, as it's a very good preemptive check against poorly thought out approaches. It is extremely fast and controls the space directly in front of and below an airbourne Eiji. If Eiji jumps and you see this move coming out, roll as fast as possible. This allows you to score a full punish.

• Kasumigiri (214P) - A downwards circular slash. Eiji's strongest anti-air, and the biggest reason why people hate him outside of Zantetsuha. The hitbox on this move is incredibly large, allowing it to stuff out any and all air approaches. It's also Eiji's main meterless light ender and special move for abare. The two main things to note here are that its mere existence should completely discourage you from jumping directly at Eiji in neutral, and that it is very minus on block and whiff. Make sure to punish it if Eiji is using it haplessly, or is not hitconfirming from lights properly.

• Ryuueijin (623P) - While this move has slow startup, it should not be ignored. In the corner, it allows Eiji to keep up with plus frames in pressure, and most notably, it reflects your fireball. Alongside Zantetsuha, Eiji has this move as well to remind you that throwing fireballs at him is a futile effort that will result in your swift and brutal death. Also, it can anti-air hops, scoring a super confirm if you get counter-hit.

• Eiutsushi (236K) - Teleport. The button strength decides the difference. In neutral, it has some use, as the D version goes over lows, meaning Eiji can teleport over your fireballs. Yet another counter to your fireball, this time, giving Eiji a full heavy starter combo if he reacts in time. Other than this, it's mostly a gimmick outside of okizeme, as you can react and press a button. Be wary of its ability to perform ambiguous crossups on your wakeup if you get thrown.

• Koppagiri (63214K) - Dashing slash. It's not really that much of an important special to think about. If used in a blockstring, it is either minus on block at best or punishable at worst. Like with his teleport, if you get thrown, Eiji can also use this move on your wakeup to connect at the last few active frames, to get a very high amount of plus frames.

• Tenbakyaku (421K) - Jumping kicks. A gimmicky, useless move in neutral, and a gimmicky, useless move in pressure. Make sure to duck it so the final hit whiffs on both versions.

• Zantetsuha (2363214P) - Projectile super. The fastest projectile in the game. It can punish anything you do except dodging or charging, even if you shouldn't really be using dodge in the first place vs Eiji. It eats your projectiles with no penalty, reaching fullscreen in almost no time. The SDM version has a second hit, so don't roll it if you see the SDM super flash. Thankfully, if the move isn't punishing you, you can roll it to either gain some ground or score a punish. Performing a full jump or a super jump before it comes out will let you clear it, but this is extremely risky as Eiji can simply use Kasumigiri, or worse, delay the Zantetsuha.

• Zantetsu Tourouken (2363214K) - Ranbu super. Not a reversal, punishable on block.

Chapter 4: Pain and Suffering - Neutral

• On the ground, you lose to Kikouhou for most of the screen. It's quite minus on block, so you can use blocking it to get some space. If he uses it fullscreen, it will whiff, so you must use the recovery frames to run in. Rolling or dodging on reaction can also help with reducing chip damage and not being in blockstun. If Eiji jumps, he's most likely going to jump in with either j.D, j.B or j.CD, or throw out a kunai Anti-air his jump-in on reaction by buffering DP, and evade his kunai with either dodge or roll. The kunai is very punishable on whiff, so make sure to make it whiff and make the most of making it whiff. However, if you use dodge, you're kinda screwed here, since it recovers slowly enough while also not moving forward at all for Eiji to land and begin zoning.

• Throwing fireballs here is a death sentence, as Eiji has Ryuueijin to reflect them, D teleport to fly over them and Zantetsuha to blast you away.

• In the air, you lose to Kikouhou at hop height, and Kasumigiri at all heights. It's inadvisable to jump at Eiji in neutral unless you've got the definite read that he's going to throw out a Kikouhou or Zantetsuha, as a full jump (Not a hop) will beat both of these options. The general advice is to not take risks jumping at Eiji unless the Eiji player is flowcharting (as a significant amount of Eijis do) and you have a read on what he is going to do next.

• Most of your opportunities are going to come from making the right reads on the ground. Try your best to study the Eiji player, learn his habits and bait his specials. Studying the player is one of the most important aspects of fighting any character that can zone you out so effectively on reaction, with Eiji most definitely being no exception.

• Jumping directly at Eiji is a bad idea, but using neutral hop j.D can sometimes be a safe poke, catching him pre-emptively if he wants to use options such as D teleport if timed correctly, forward jump kunai and general jump-ins.

• Eiji's f.D is another part of his devastating neutral, and thus must be countered appropriately. Saisyu, however, struggles with this hard as his main counterpokes are lows in 2B and 2D, and Eiji's f.D is a low invulnerable kick. Ideally, you want to force the move to whiff, and score a small punish with either a fireball or f.B.

• Dealing with his regular mobility is also a struggle. He walks backwards only slightly slower than you can run at him. To counter this, you should try hyper hopping at him with a jump normal in order to put him in proximity block. However, this leaves you open to get swatted by all of Eiji's regular anti-airs. What a joyous character to fight. Thankfully, his jump angles are pretty standard. His crossups with j.B and j.D are easily stoppable with 2C on reaction, and his regular jumps all lose to DP as long as he's not doing back jump or neutral jump kunai.

Chapter 5: How Did We Get Here? - Defence

• Eiji's offence is okay. His cl.D is a very good button, giving him pressure and hitconfirms with the touch of a button. His j.D works as an IOH from a backwards hop, but this is punishable on block or hit. Thankfully, outside of teleport crossups, which are extremely gimmicky when done outside of okizeme, and regular frametraps, Eiji's mix is almost entirely strike/throw with universal, very techable, throws. Most of his offence is based on pure KOF fundamentals, with the added drawback of not having a long-ranged low to poke with. Another thing to be wary of is his okizeme, as if he times Koppagiri correctly, and hits it in its last few active frames, he has an incredible amount of plus frames. On the other hand, if he uses it in a blockstring, it's minus at best and punishable via heavy starter at worst, so take your turn back swiftly. If he missed a hitconfirm and does Kasumigiri on block, make sure to punish him severely.

Chapter 6: Bitter Victory? - Offence

• If you get in, you've got a high chance to win. Thankfully, Eiji has no reversals. As long as you can react to reversal roll or reversal dodge, you should be completely fine against Eiji as long as you keep using lots of plus frames, and go for the mixup as soon as possible. Don't let him teleport away. Don't let him jump away. Don't let him get away under any circumstance, or you will have to crawl back to Chapter 4 all over again. On top of this, you also have to worry about guard cancels. Bait the blowback with 63214D, and run at him as fast as possible if he GCRolls. Most Eijis will run Extra gauge, so he'll have a lot less meter to guard cancel with in order to get unlimited Zantetsuha.

• Make the most of the small opportunity you get to pressure Eiji. It is paramount that you land a hit and do heavy damage, in order to get one step closer to overcoming the matchup. Keep up the pressure, go for safe mixups and make sure you make every single hit count.

Chapter 7 - Closing Thoughts

• Overall, this is the most painful matchup you will face as Saisyu, as is the case vs Eiji with a large portion of the cast. You will struggle, but you can still win. Stay patient, and make sure your offence is airtight. Please, don't complain about him on social media. Try your hardest, and overcome him.

Geese Howard

• You can use 623A/C, 236236C and 63214D in between the first and second hit of Double Reppuken to interrupt Geese.

EX King

• Surprise Rose is -2 on block when used point blank. This means that most other characters without a command grab or unbreakable mash throw cannot punish it. However, Saisyu's cl.C has 1f of startup. With perfect timing, you get a full punish.

Ryuji Yamazaki

Disadvantage

EX Ryuji Yamazaki

Moderate Disadvantage

Saisyu Kusanagi

Even - it's the mirror!

Orochi Shermie

Dodge, Step: Disadvantage

Roll, Run: Even

• Orochi Shermie's zoning and abare are incredibly potent against Saisyu, and so when you're not in her face with massive amounts of frame advantage you're going to have a hard time.

• Ideally, you should focus on going straight into tricky mixups to cash out on meter or hard knockdowns, or wait for O. Shermie to do something punishable and punish it. Her best abare options are usually punishable with the right move, so being patient during the rare chances you do get to establish pressure is paramount to avoid being put into electric kiss zoning.

Terry Bogard

Advantage

• Lots of advancing mids and semi-decent pokes in neutral. Overcoming advancing specials such as Burn Knuckle using dodge or roll makes fighting Terry a lot easier.
• Regular Terry's Power Wave can actually stop hops, so be wary when approaching.
• Rising Tackle isn't the best DP, but it works. Make sure to be wary of it, and punish accordingly.
• Terry struggles to pressure or mix you up. Take advantage of this and get back on offence.

EX Terry Bogard

Slight Advantage

• Almost identical to regular Terry bar three changes: Power Wave, Round Wave and Fire Kick (Slide).
• Power Wave now goes fullscreen, but can be hopped over.
• Round Wave is cancelable, which allows for gimmicky pressure. Learn and punish the gaps.
• Fire Kick is a low profile slide with a cancelable first hit, often the most common choice for Round Wave pressure.
• Mostly the same matchup as regular Terry, but with the added risk of a low profile slide, and more notably, an Extra mode combo that does some insane damage.

Yashiro Nanakase

Even