At first glance, it'd be easy to assume that Shingo Yabuki is little more than a Joke Character (a la Dan Hibiki), but in actuality, he's a Lethal Joke Character. Simply put, underneath that silly exterior of his, Shingo is a fairly competent Rushdown character with a plethora of ways to close the gap between him and the opponent. Whether we're talking about his signature Shingo Kick (which can be performed in the air, ever since 2003), his take on Kyo's Kototsuki (which got an entirely different move out of the B version), or his all-new Mizukiri (based on Kyo's Munotsuchi follow-up from his Aragami Rekka), Shingo has no shortage of ways to approach his opponent. And once he's close, it can be tough to shake him off owing to his Aragami Mikansei poke, fantastic Light normals, and his Nietogi command grab.
Shingo also reintroduces his own unique mechanic from '97-XI, Critical Hits. Like in some JRPGs, all of Shingo's Specials and Supers have a chance to land a Critical Hit, which not only increases their damage output significantly but also comes with entirely different properties as well. For example, his EX Dokugami hook turns into a Wall Bounce if it's a Critical Hit, while EX Oboroguruma becomes a Ground Bounce (which stacks with his EX Kototsuki), amplifying his already fantastic combo damage that much further.
Pros
Cons
High Damage: There's no sugarcoating it - if you want damage, Shingo has it in spades. Even his meterless combos - especially with Critical Hits - can do upwards of 30% if you're lucky. With meter, however, you're looking at around 50% damage with half a bar. And assuming those hits are critical, it can go upwards of 70%. Needless to say, with and without flames, Shingo's hits don't tickle.
Critical Hits: Unique to Shingo, his Critical Hits increase his already solid damage output even further and buffs the properties of his Specials and Supers on top of that.
Long Limbs: Shingo's normals have shockingly fantastic reach. 5A and 5C have amazing reach and are special cancelable, and his 5B and 5D are also great to keep his opponents in check. Most of his crouching normals carry over from Kyo and work like you'd expect them to. And the less said about his fantastic j.D, the better.
Mix-ups: Shingo has many ways to keep his opponent guessing up close. With a low that leads into a combo (214P), overheads (6B and 624K), a command grab, a divekick (aka, Shingo Kick Air) with no height limit, and a feint (236C~AB) which synergizes with his command grab. Suffice it to say you've got plenty of options.
Strong Hard Knockdown Conversions: Shingo has many ways convert into 412D/BD, EX Shingo Kick, and his 624K specials, giving him a lot of consistency for his pressure.
Hilarious: If you just want to lay back and have fun, Shingo is the character for you. Being the token comic relief character of KOF, just about everything Shingo does is liable to either crack a smile and/or a laugh, or outright annoy the opponent (which if you're into mind games, works better than you think).
Slow: One of the things that hold Shingo back is his general sluggishness. His mobility is only average, his far heavies are easily contested at range (especially his 5C), his DP is slower than most, and quicker characters will make dealing with pressure a pain for Shingo.
Inconsistent: Unfortunately, Shingo's Critical Hits are a double-edged sword for him as his light confirms into 236AC can either lead into explosive damage or damage equal to a meterless heavy combo, not to mention a critical hit in the corner will take his opponent out of it. Higher damage combos can be routed with less RNG dependent specials, but he will lose his explosive capabilities without testing your luck.
Weak Against Zoning: Shingo does not have many options outside of system mechanics to contest zoning in mid range or full screen, requiring him to take risks on defense and potentially on offense against fireballs and/or long range normals/specials.
Needs to be in your face: For Shingo to play well, if at all, he has to be up close in personal to use his tools effectively.
Guard(1) means only the first hit has to be blocked that way, (2) the second, No bracket means the entire move has to be blocked said way.How this attack has to be blocked. Throws and unblockables will stay empty.
Cancel(1) means only the first hit is cancelable, (2) the second, (x~y) every hit from x to y, No bracket means the entire move is.Whether this move is special or super cancelable. If neither, will stay empty.
StartupNumber of frames for the move to become active, first active frame included.
Activex, (y), z means the move has two hits. The 1st is active for x frames Followed by a y frame gap Then the 2nd is active for z frames.Number of frames the move is active, meaning able to connect, for.
RecoveryNumber of frames past its active frames for the move to end and the character to recover unless the move is canceled.
Hit Advantagex ~ y means the move has different frame advantage depending on range. x when done point-blank. y on the tip. SKD is soft knockdown, HKD is hard.After the move hits, number of frames the character recovers before (+) or after (-) the opponent.
Block Advantagex ~ y means the move has different frame advantage depending on range. x when done point-blank. y on the tip.After the move is blocked, number of frames the character recovers before (+) or after (-) the opponent.
Invulnerability(Startup) means the move is invincible until after its 1st active frame. (Startup - 1) means it's invincible until its 1st active frame. Throw and/or Hit Invincibility the move has. (frames)_TYPE_(Location). Startup or Active may be used to note the frame range.
StunAmount of stun damage a move inflicts. This will not factor in proration if applicable
Guard DamageDamage done to the guard bar regardless of multipliers
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