Samurai Shodown VI/Yumeji

Introduction

Yumeji is a headswap of Ukyo who expands on his zoning-oriented Bust moveset from Samurai Shodown III and IV. This character was a sub-boss in Samurai Shodown V who could transform into the likenesses of existing characters for certain special moves, but in VI these have been exchanged for practical keepaway options and combo tools. While Ukyo would use his long range buttons and devastating punish tools to lead into his vortex, Yumeji couples them with a slow-but-advantageous ground fireball, a fast, arced air fireball and some far-reaching combo tools to keep the distance. Both characters excel at hit-and-run, but each to different ends.

Data

• Dash type: Run
• Damage taken: 115%
• Rage retention: 90
• Rage duration: 15 seconds

Gameplan

Yumeji is a keepaway character with an assortment of ranged pokes, recoil cancel options and fireballs to cover different ranges and angles. This variation of Ukyo retains his fast run speed and backdash but has a faster jump which makes air poking much more viable. However, much like Ukyo, Yumeji's defense is below average to compensate for the strong zoning tools you're working with.

Learn the spacings for 5B and 5C, as they are your best pokes. Both are fast, reach incredibly far and recoil on block. If you are expecting the opponent to block your 5B, 5A may be used instead to recoil cancel faster. Yumeji's fastest recoil cancel options are 214S and 421A/B ~A/B. If you've conditioned the opponent to respect you, there's also 236S to press an advantage or 623S as a mixup option if spaced properly. Up close, Yumeji's lights can be used as strong, safe pressure tools, given they are fast and have good recovery. As for anti-airing, Yumeji has 2B, jC and, most importantly, Concealed Sabre Firefly (j1236S). Firefly is an air fireball which comes out extremely fast and covers different trajectories for each strength, which couples nicely with Yumeji's relatively fast jumps to take full control of the skies. By backdash cancelling into it, Firefly also provides Yumeji even more ground control and anti-air potential.

Firefly's sheer speed means that, much like Ukyo's Tsubame Gaeshi, it can be used to punish close medium slashes up close. It doesn't hit overhead, though - close range vortexes are his thing. As for other punish options, Yumeji retains Ukyo's excellent run speed and fast, far-reaching 66C, but also adds 66B to the mix, which can be special cancelled on the first hit. 66C is an ideal punish option at all times, as Yumeji is designed to play hit-and run at the tip of its range, and the knockdown it provides leads nicely into setplay with Concealed Sabre Solar Flame (236S), a ground fireball. While Firefly is a fast, arced fireball with limited range, Solar Flame travels quickly in a straight line, but the startup is dreadful. Yumeji needs space to set this up, but the reward is well worth it. While Firefly only provides a knockdown, which is still useful, Solar Flame grants incredible frame advantage if it connects. On hit, Yumeji can very easily pick up with 66B or 66C for a knockdown. On block, the choice is yours to either run away or zone in for a mixup, which should depend on how close you are to the corner given Yumeji's propensity for running away. Tick throws and shimmies are very useful here, especially given Yumeji's fast ground speeds across the board. Given the potential ground to be lost during the startup and how not even the heavy version reaches fullscreen, Solar Flame is a lot more useful for setplay than it is for straight zoning. Oral Tradition Snow Wind (421A/B ~A/B) can potentially be used for zoning as well, but given the wait before your followups come out, its bad recovery and tricky angles, it is advised to save that move for combos, where its range and angles make it excel.

Up close, Yumeji has some mixup potential, although not as devastating at Ukyo's from all ranges. Concealed Sabre Ephemeral Shadow (623S) is a series of shadow slashes consisting of a frame trap which can link into heavies, a forward-hitting knockdown and a crossup-hitting knockdown. These are effective recoil options up close, although they can be thrown. In lieu of Tsubame Gaeshi, there's also 6B, a modest overhead which has to be spaced lest it be thrown or punished on hit, and a decent assortment of low-hitting kicks to back it up. When not running away, Yumeji can lead into this safely when running behind a Solar Flame, which is even scarier in the corner. At that range, Yumeji can time Solar Flame so it hits the opponent if they don't tech, but in such a way that if they do tech, Yumeji can tech chase with 66C or Firefly for short rolls and a throw for long rolls. On a side note, Yumeji should never pursuit an opponent unless it is guaranteed to kill, as it wastes time which could be spent timing a meaty Solar Flame or otherwise buying space.

Your optimal poking range as Yumeji gives you space to meditate safely if you are using V Spirit. Though Yumeji doesn't have a launcher to negate Rage Explosion, you still have a long-range overhead in the form of 6B as one means of opening your opponent up in State Of Nothingness. VI Spirit is also a good choice, as it rewards your pokes with meter and allows you to hold onto your WFT until you can land it (i.e. from a hit confirm or a successful Mikiri).

Normal Moves

Far Slashes

• 5A - Fast, long-reaching poke. Effectively a weaker version of 5B but if it's blocked you get to recoil cancel faster. Special cancellable.
• 5B - Same reach as 5A but deals more damage and is active for longer, thus more effective as a general poke.
• 5C - A far-reaching, highly-damaging punish tool. This is great for poking and recoil cancelling, considering its startup is quite fast as well. Get in the habit of using 421B as an OS so blocked slashes can be made safer and create a no-cross line.
• 2A - Your fastest midscreen poke but it has less range than 5A. Special cancellable.
• 2B - Effective anti-air, but it leaves you crouching so you're prone to taking deephits if you screw this up.
• 2C - This is Yumeji's only far normal which doesn't recoil, though it is also the most damaging. Doesn't cover any more range than 5C but moves you forward and can go under high attacks.

Near Slashes

• n5A - Safe get-off-me tool.
• n5B - High-reaching attack and thus suitable as a meaty. Special cancellable but not as fast as n2B.
• n5C - Generic punish tool. It's two hits so it can be bursted before the more-powerful second hit.
• n2A - n5A but lower.
• n2B - Your fastest combo starter. Your choice is between this and n5B, in which if your distance is wrong you're whiffing 2B instead of 5B.
• n2C - Generic punish tool which does slightly less than n5C and starts lower.

Kicks

• 5D - Ranged option for when you're disarmed, little use outside of this purpose but it is special cancellable.
• 6D - Low-hitting kick that slides you a little further than one character width. Can be followed up with a pursuit but should always be followed up by 236A or chase tech. Use this alongside a spaced meaty overhead to lead into 236A setplay.
• 2D - Short, quick low. Links into Firefly, but don't think you'll be running 2D j1236S vortex with this character as Yumeji's j1236S hits mid.
• 3D - A sweep that hits mid. Reaches fairly high, fast, active for relatively long.

Dash Normals

• 66A - Has more range than 66B and 66D. Has decent priority as well but there's not much of a reason to use this.
• 66B - Instead of crossing up, Yumeji's 66B is instead a running version of n5B. The first hit is special cancellable, making this move effective as a punish. If you're expecting an upback then this is what you go for.
• 66C - A running version of your 5C, but instead of recoiling it knocks down. This hits higher up than Ukyo's running heavy slash, covering an even greater area. This is one of the fastest moves in the game. You will punish everything with it.
• 66D - Running low. Your best option for punishing when unarmed, but you have far better options when Yumeji is armed.

Air Normals

• jA - Aerial n5A.
• jB - Can be used to hit opponents who are close below you. May also be used as an instant overhead in State Of Nothingness if your opponent is tall enough.
• njC - Air-to-air which covers a great distance directly in front of you.
• jC - Ukyo's jumping heavy slash, but easier to use as Yumeji's jump is faster. Good horizontal range. Can easily combo into n5C or n5B 421B~B.
• jD - Two-hit kick, situational jump-in. Both hits are medium attacks. Your better air option when unarmed.

Unarmed Normals

• u5S - High slap.
• u2S - Low slap.
• u66S - Gives plenty of hitstun to link into a knockdown move. u66S is a heavy attack, so linking it into itself causes a knockdown.
• juS - Jumping slap. jC reaches further.

Hyper Slash (I)

• A+B - 5C. The range, power, and threat of this move enhance Yumeji's pokes by a ton. Risky for a character with such low health, but a powerful threat to scare the opponent with and an even stronger punish than 5C.

Command Moves

6B

• A long-ranged leaping overhead which moves Yumeji a little forward. You must perform this meaty and at a distance or else you'll be thrown at best and punished at worse even on hit. State of Nothingness opener.

Special Moves

Concealed Sabre Solar Flame - 236S

• Bust-Ukyo's fast-travelling fireball, but the startup is much slower. Strength determines the range before it dissipates, with 236A reaching about 5C's length away from you and 236C reaching nearly the whole screen. In return for its lengthy startup, this move is advantageous enough that it can link into your dashing attacks or anything else that can reach, or lead nicely into tick throws and other mixup options on block. This move is a staple of Yumeji's setplay, which is elaborated on in the Gameplan section above.

Concealed Sabre Firefly - j1236S

• Remember how Ukyo's Tsubame Gaeshi used to spawn a fireball while also being an overhead? While Ukyo has ditched the fireball since III, Yumeji has adopted it while abandoning the overhead hit. Furthermore, while the fireball retains the same V-shaped arc (strength determining the angle it flies upward), it no longer travels fullscreen, reaching a little further than your 5C at most before dying out. However, this move is still very much useful not only for the angles it covers, but for its near-instant startup, in addition to the air practicalities of a standard Tsubame Gaeshi (you can either TK it or cancel your backdash into it, the latter being useful as a keepaway option as it stuffs whatever angle of approach your opponent is rushing you down from). When zoning you will often have to decide between 236S's range and damage potential versus j1236S's speed and upward geometry.
• When tiger knee'd, this move is amazing as a close-ranged punish tool for its speed, range and the knockdown it gives. This is capable of punishing blocked attacks which most other characters can only punish with a throw, if theirs can even reach. Because Yumeji doesn't stop to cough at the end like Ukyo does, if this is performed far enough then it may be hard for the opponent to properly punish you depending on the matchup.
• If you expect your opponent to short roll on wakeup, then TK j1236S will hit their recovery. From the same spacing, however, the fireball will dissipate just out of reach for catching long rolls, which do not have strike vulnerability on their recovery anyway. However, the opponent long rolling is ultimately better for you not only spacing-wise, but also because it allows you to set up 236S safely.

Concealed Sabre Snowdust Flash - 214S

• A practical recoil cancel option with roughly the same range as 2A. Also a possible far anti-air for its vertical reach. This is similar to Ukyo's apple slice, but instead of multiple independent hits it is a hitgrab akin to Yoshitora's Asagao (furthermore, you're throwing a persimmon instead of an apple, if it makes a difference). Strength determines its active frames and number of hits if it connects.
• There is no fakeout version of this move.

Concealed Sabre Ephemeral Shadow - 623S (Samurai Drive)

• Concealed with the morphing effect from V, Yumeji dashes forward then swipes at the opponent. This is your replacement for Ukyo's 66B in that the heavy version is a crossup, but it's nowhere near as fast. Theoretically useful as a recoil option if you've conditioned your opponent not to hit buttons, as all versions have a lengthy, telegraphed startup. Otherwise use sparingly, as you're better off sticking to keepaway rather than trying to shmix with Yumeji.
• 623A can be linked into your faster attacks on hit including 2C. It is also fairly safe on block.
• 623B hits in front of them, while 623C will cross over if spaced correctly. If 623C doesn't cross up, it won't hit at all.
• All three versions have strike invincibility during the shadow frames, but all can equally be thrown. None are advisable for use as reversals.

Oral Tradition Snow Wind - 421A/B ~A/B

• This move is a long-ranged attack which has followups that lead to knockdowns. As this is your fastest grounded special, it is also your main combo ender. Be mindful that the input window for its followups is quite small.
• The first hit is either a launcher which will reach upwards (A) or a low-hitting attack which skims the ground (B), both of which have fast startup and safe recovery. Although 421A~A leads to the highest damage out of all sequences, 421A itself will whiff on crouchers. As such, 421B is preferred for bread-and-butters. Being a launcher, 421A cannot be escaped from with Rage Explosion.
• The optional second hit reaches not only farther but either higher (A) or lower (B). On hit, A will knock the opponent further away, while B will keep them closer for okizeme. Both versions are unsafe on block, and definitely on whiff. It can be delayed a little to frame trap. The B followup will hit low if cancelled into from 421B, but from 421A it will actually hit overhead.
• If an opponent attempts to use Hyper Slash to deal with your pressure after Solar Flame, this move's two hits can be used to break its armor. However, given the bad recovery, it's probably best to go for a throw instead.
• Be careful with using the followups in neutral as they are are easy to avoid, have long recovery and leave you in a counter hit state. They can be used as long-range punish options, but so can 66C.

Toy Transformation - 3214623E (II)

Supers

Heavenly Wave of Soichi Jinmu - 236AB

• Bust-Ukyo's WFT. Fast startup and travels fullscreen quickly. While it can be used as a standalone punish because of this, this WFT is best used as a combo ender where it is guaranteed to hit. Will sideswitch and leave the opponent close to you in a hard knockdown.

Secret Move Ground God - 641236BC (II), 236BC (VI) (Samurai Drive)

• Viable alternative to WFT as a combo tool. The first hit's range is roughly the same as your 2A's. This deals slightly more damage than 236AB, but instead of sideswitching it pushes the opponent far away.

Combos

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Issen Juggle

Standard Combos

• n5B/n2B/66B/5D 421S ~S/236AB - Combos starting from medium slashes.
• 623A, 2D, j1236S - Various links. Unlike Ukyo, j1236S hits mid, so this link isn't a built-in low/high mixup.
• 623B/C, 3C - Guaranteed pursuit.
• 236S, 66X - Ground fireball's hitstun is long enough for you to follow up with one of your dashing normals, or anything else that will reach.

Hyper Slash (I)

• 236S A+B - Will only combo around the tip of 236A's range. If you're actually fishing for this in a match for some reason, don't try it anywhere else or it will get you killed. Actually, it will probably get you killed anyway.

Continuous Slash (IV)

• A+B BBC/AABBC 421A/B ~A/B - For the CS2 juggle, 421A ~A/B is most consistent.
• A+B BBC/AABBC 236AB - Continuous Slash into WFT.
• A+B BBC 214A - Corner only.
• 66B 421A, ABC Juggle into Fatal Flash. More stamina efficient than other juggles of this sort. Rage Explosion only, of course.

State Of Nothingness (V)

• 6B, ... ABC - Conversion from overhead into Fatal Flash. Be careful not to link grounded heavies together in your filler. jB may be used as an instant overhead instead if the croucher is large enough.
• 421A ABC - Launcher into Issen. Immune to Rage Explosion if your opponent is running a Spirit which has it, but has short range. After performing 6B your opponent's hurtbox will usually be too low to hit with 421A.

Frame Data - Provided by Tekitogate

Attack	Startup	On Hit	On Standing Block	On Crouching Block	Notes
n5A	4	-2	-6	-1
n2A	4	-2	-6	-1
5A	10	-4	-2	+3
2A	6	-3	-2	+3
66A	7	-8	-20	-15
jA	8	N/A	N/A	N/A
n5B	8	-13	-8	-3
n2B	6	+1	-8	-3
5B	9	-6	-8	-3
2B	13	-6	-8	-3
66B	10	-10	-23	-18
jB	9	N/A	N/A	N/A
n5C	11	-5	-20	-15
n2C	13	-1 ~ +0	-20	-15
5C	15	-11 ~ -10	-20	-15
2C	16	+0 ~ +1	-31	-26
66C	6	KD	-41	-36
j8C	11	N/A	N/A	N/A
j7C/9C	12	N/A	N/A	N/A
6B	23	-15	-17	N/A	-5 on crouching hit
5D	8	-9	-21	-16
6D	5	KD	N/A	-18
2D	6	+5	N/A	+6
3D	5	KD	-17	-12
66D	6	KD	N/A	-15
jD	7	N/A	N/A	N/A
Hyper Slash	24	KD	-63	-53
Continuous Slash	8	KD	-20	-15

Colors

External Links

• Seesaa wiki