The King of Fighters XIII/Kim Kaphwan

File:Kim sprite.gif

Console Changes

- Recovery on EX Hishoukyaku improved. Follow-ups possible.

- ff.A has been improved to hit crouching opponents who are in hit stun.

- Recovery on hangetsuzan lengthened

- Air hangetsuzan hits crouching opponents who are in hit stun. However, upwards hitbox has been reduced.

- EX hangetsuzan has better recovery when blocked

- Properties of qcfx2+K have changed. Both versions below have extended recovery on a whiff

• Weak ver: Invincible, blows back opponent horizontally
• Strong ver: No invincibility, launches straight up

- Weak Hienzan has less invincible frames. Also note well that invincibility is upper body only.

- EX Air phoenix kick added. There are a few frames of invincibility on the initial attack frames.

Yamamoto:

"Hangetsuzan isn’t safe on guard so be careful. On the other hand is ff.A can hit crouching opponents in hit stun and EX hangetsuzan can be followed by ff.A in the middle of the screen so regardless of the opponent’s status or distance there will always be combo options available to Kim. So a little bit of a change, let’s use various moves to rush the opponent down without giving them a break!"

Normals

Standing

s. A 25 damage, chain-able, hits mid. A short ranged jab that's pointed a bit downward diagonally than just horizontally like many jabs. Not recommended to stop hops because of its slight angle. Safe on block.

s. B 30 damage, cancel-able, hits mid. Better than s.A for checking and stopping hops in advance because of its longer distance and height. Not safe on block

far C 80 damage, super-cancellable only, hits mid. A slow stepping side kick that has mediocre range. It has decent push back, but isn't safe on block...but be weary of any hidden charged flash kicks or ex qcb K's for frame trap attempt, if you are on the defense against Kim.

far D 30+24 damage, hits mid. Fast double high kicks that have some lower body invincibility at the start up. You can stop some 3/4s full screen predicted hops and jump-ins if your spacing is good, but they may be beaten out by some characters down angled jump attacks. Safe on block but the whiff recovery is bad.

s. C 70 damage, cancel-able, hits mid. A kick to the shin that looks low, but it is actually a mid attack. Isn't terribly unsafe on block and pushes him back a little bit, but too far.

cl. D 70 damage, cancel-able, hits mid. Basically his second kick of his far D. Not safe on block but by not too many frames, but he gets pushed back a bit. His s.A can link to this kick.

Crouching

d. A 25 damage, cancel-able and chain-able, hits mid. It's quick, has more range than his s. A, and is safe on block.

d. B 30 damage, cancel-able, chain-able, hits low. Fast, great range, and a main starter for his ground combos, somewhat neutral on block.

d. C 70 damage, cancel-able, hits mid. Recovery is a little on the slow side, and it obviously doesn't reach has high as his past d. C's which were used as anti-airs. The range is the similar to his d. B. It's a decent move to punish moves that have horrible recovery into his specials or DM.

d. D 80 damage, whiff/cancel-able, hits low. His standard sweep that is still whiff cancel-able. Great range, and its recovery isn't horrible. With all sweeps in KOF, use it sparingly.

Jumping

j. A: 45 (40), cancel-able, hits overhead. A diagonal down angled punch, that can be hit and placed fairly deep. Compared to his past KOF games j. A, this one seems a bit harder to cross-up opponents while their standing, but it seems better used for crossing them up while crouching when hopping. Try it out on different crouching opponents.

j. B: 45 (40), hits overhead. A high aiming kick which is better for ground-to-air or to stop some opponents jumpins when used preemptively. It obviously should not be used for jump-ins or for air-to-air attacking.

j. C: 72 (70), hits overhead. A jumping axe kick that seems better for jumpins and better suited for hop pressure if timed well.

j. D: 70 (68), hits overhead. This jump kick has great and a good diagonal angle which can be timed to hit fairly deep. Good for jumpings and hop pressure (especially in the corner).

Blowback Attack

CD: 75 damage, whiff/cancel-able, hits mid. Just like his KOF02 stand CD, it has good range and can be whiff canceled out of but it just starts up a bit faster.

j. CD 90 (80), cancel-able, hits mid. A bit less range than his KOF02 jumping CD, but it is still very useful for using air-to-air.

GCCD 10 damage, hits mid.

Throw

Sakkyaku Nage = (b/f+C/D) 100 damage, can be broken, causes a hard knockdown.

Command Moves

Nerichagi = (f+B) 65 damage, cancel-able, hits overhead, but hits mid if canceled into.

• Like former KOF games, Kim overhead is somewhat the same, not too terribly unsafe on block, and pushes him back a bit. You can go into HD mode if this is blocked then choose to hit them with a d.b, or a hop D for a mixup. If you chose to cancel a normal into this overhead as a small blockstring (or on hit), be careful because someone could roll after the first hit or throw out a move with quick starup and invincibility to punish you.

Yopuchagi = (f,f+A) 45 damage, cancel-able, hits mid.

• Kim flies close off the ground almost full screen with a kick that bounces him back in the air and lands almost half screen away. It is moderately quick and can catch some moves while they are starting up or recovering, but if it isn't properly followed up with an air special move, he can be punished by some quick long ranged moves or DMs. This move completely misses on crouching opponents and he's open for punishment while hes recovering. It is best used when canceled from his normals, or for punishing whiffed moves that have bad recovery.

Special Moves

Hangetsuzan = (qcb+K) - Kim's signature crescent kick. Both of the kick versions are now unsafe on block and are only cancellable from hard attacks. Try your best to hit-confirm into these, because if they are blocked or whiffed, you are asking to get punished.

(EX) = qcb+BD - More safer than the normal versions and starts up faster. You can combo this from light and heavy attacks.

• Drive- / Super-Cancellable
• Hit Detection: Mid
• B Damage: 60; D Damage: 40+38+36; EX Damage: 70, 66

Kuchugetsuzan = (qcb+K) in air - Almost like an aerial version of his crescent kick. Kim stops for a split second in mid-air then does a flip axe kick that travels forward a bit. The B version is a mid attack, while the D version is an overhead. You can perform these off of his back dash or a canceled j. A. His D version if hit late and at the correct distance can place him almost neutral on block.

(EX) = qcb+BD in air - This version when hits the opponent 3 times in the air, then leaves the opponent in a juggle-able state. It's best used in the corner where you can follow up with his f,f+A, both of his flash kicks (d~u+K), his EX DM, or even his neomax.

• Drive- / Super-Cancellable
• Hit Detection: B version = Mid / D version = overhead / EX version = Mid
• B Damage: 75; D Damage: 80; EX Damage: 50+47+45

Hishokyaku = (qcf+K) in air - Kim brief stops mid-air to arrow diagonally downward at 5 o'clock for some quick stomps; another signature move. The B version has a steeper angle and comes down slower, while the D version has a wider angle but is much faster. The stomps when they hit keep him in place (KOF02 style) and he can flip backward with a j.D (by pressing D). You can super cancel these stomps into his air DM (qcb~hcf + K) if you have the meter, and you hit them with it alone, or in a combo. If you whiff the stomp, you can be punished by a quick normal or super with fast recovery. If you miss this in mid range from your opponent, you can even try throwing out his B version of Hienzan (flash kick) if they try to punish you, but don't rely on that too much, and try your best to not whiff it at all. If the stomp is blocked, you can be punished by a fast EX move or DM while Kim is flipping backwards in the air.

(EX) = qcf+BD in air - It looks slower than his D version of the stomp, but he keep stomping all the way to the ground (KOF98 style) and he can actually follow up with his flash kick, EX qcb+K, his qcb~hcf K DM or his neomax without using a drive stock. He is safe on block by maybe a frame or two, so if you have the meter, you can use this for some light chip damage, then continue with some blockstring pressure.

• Drive- / Super-Cancellable
• Hit Detection: Mid (Kim's recovery j.D is overhead)
• Damage: 77; EX Damage: 40 x n

Hienzan = (d~u+K) - Everyone calls it the 'flash kick', because that's what it is pretty much. Like past KOF years, the B version comes out fast, and is a good anti air, but if its abused, he is open for punishment. The kick is aimed and performed in the middle of the screen height-wise (he grazes the life bars), and he moves forward a bit with a landing a couple of steps from where he started. Because it comes out so quickly, it can be used for some frame traps. This D version comes out fast as well but travels VERY high in the air (his torso is near the lifebars), and starts out the same as the B version; the starting hit placed at a low height where his d. A hits. His down + D follow up (that looks the same as the KOF02 version) after the D version knocks the opponent down hard and does 42 damage. If you whiff the D version, he lands slowly and is open for deserving punishment...just watch for his down + D while you approach him if someone wants to throw that out last minute on the way down.

(EX) = d~u+BD - Kim does two flash kicks on the way up with an automatic down + D. It has really fast start up and has some invincibility too. As far as using this as anti-air, it MIGHT whiff on those hopping in on you from far distance, because it shoots up kind of steep diagonally upward.

∟ d + D (for knockdown in D variant)

• Drive- / Super-Cancellable (before d + D)
• Hit Detection: Mid
• B Damage: 70, D Damage: 50+19+18; EX Damage: 100, 60, 50
• d + D follow-up damage: 50

Desperation Moves

Hououkyaku = (qcb~hcf+K) - Kim goes on full alert then dashes towards the opponent and places 9 fast hits which ends in his flash kick for a soft knockdown. This ranbu super which in this game starts up a bit slower and seems to not have any invincibility on it whatsoever. If someone does it randomly full screen and if your reflexes are extremely quick, you can even jab or light kick them out of it. You can still punish some moves that have horrible recovery, and you can combo it from light and heavy attacks.

(EX) = qcb~hcf+BD - Same general concept as the normal DM version, but starts up faster (still doesn't have any invinciblity), and does 12 hits ending with a flash kick with his down + D follow up for a hard knockdown. You can still combo this from light and heavy attacks.

• MAX Cancellable
• Hit Detection: Mid
• Damage: 210; EX Damage: 320

Air Hououkyaku = (qcb~hcf+K) in air - Almost the same properties as his ground DM, but applied in the air. You can catch some sloppy and expected jumpins with this if you tiger knee it backward, but it does have some start up, so it might lose an attack if the super is done too late. You can combo this into from his f,f+A attack, which can come from his d.b, d.b, s.b combo, or his j. A which is cancellable.

(EX) = (qcb~hcf+K) in air - This EX version ends with 12 hits and a hard knockdown. The start-up and recovery seem the share the same values as the normal version, but it does seem to have a small bit of invincibility at the start.

• MAX Cancellable
• Hit Detection: Mid
• Damage: 210; EX Damage: 320

Hououhitenkyaku = (qcfx2+K) - Kim performs a single, HIGH placed kick that pops the opponent up in the air. The B version knocks them slightly backward, while the D version places up straight up KOF02 style. As far as invincibility, compared to the KOF2002 versions, it doesn't seem to share the vast amount it had in that game, and it is actually quite brief, compounded on its slow start-up. The B version seems to actually have a bit more invincibility than the D version. The damage compared to his other DMs isn't that great, so this move is probably best for some reset setups or some easy follow-ups into his DMs. You can also combo this DM from his light and heavy attacks if you don't trust its anti-air abilities.

• Hit Detection: Mid
• Damage: 120

Neomax

Rei Shiki Hououkyaku = (qcb hcf+AC)

• Hit Detection: High
• Damage: 0, 5 x 2, 10 x 6, 5, 10 x 6, 5, 10 x 5, 250

Combos

No Stock, No Drive Gauge -

cr. B x 2, st. B -> ff + A -> qcb + D (in air)

No stock, 2 Drive Gauge -

st. C, qcb+K, (DC) d~u+K, (DC) qcb+K

1 Stock, No Drive Gauge -

cr. B x 2, st. B -> qcb hcf + K

(corner) cr. B x 2, st. B -> qcb + BD, ff + A -> qcb + D (in air)

1 Stock, 1+ Drive Gauge -

cl. D -> qcb + K -(SC)-> qcfx2 + K, qcb + B, ff + A -> qcb + D (in air)

d~u + K -(DC)-> qcb + BD, ff + A -> qcb + D

2 Stock, 1+ Drive Gauge -

d~u + K -(DC)-> qcb + BD, ff + A -> qcb hcf + K

HD Combos

(1) j. C, st. C, [HD] st. C -> qcb+BD, d~u + B -(HC)-> qcb+BD, [d~u + B, -(HC)-> qcb + D]x2, d~u+B -(MC)-> qcb hcf + AC

Tips

- The shortcut for weak hienzan to NeoMax is [d],db,b,ub + B db,f + AC (reverse tiger knee B, then down back to forward AC).

Links & References

Technical Reference

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kk1GSnHwA-A

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