Samurai Shodown VI/Makai Gaoh

Introduction

The final boss of Samurai Shodown VI. He is unplayable without cheats.

In the arcade version he is the only character who has access to 0 Spirit, which makes his already-cheap WFT quite the horror to deal with.

Gameplan

Block everything if you can't make it all whiff, don't let him get in command grab range but if you're there then think before jumping out, don't jump around fire wave range, punish what you can get for him to miss. If he's got full Rage then be patient until he inevitably performs his WFT, which you should then block and punish unless your character has something better. Find ways to exploit the AI with gimmicks and abuse them until they stop working.

Normal Moves

Assumedly a similar set of normals Gaoh has.

Command Moves

Warp - 44 or 66

• Instead of regular dashes, Makai Gaoh has fully invincible teleports which traverse a screen's length. Don't bother trying to zone him out with fireballs when he can just teleport right through them.

Special Moves

Purifying Kagura - 236S

• Gaoh's charge special. Makai Gaoh often goes for the heavy version which is a bit easier to see coming.

Misty March - 6SSS

• Gaoh's mash special. It's safe on block and chips a ton, but if you can get behind him while he's doing this it's a free punish.

Streamer Fuse - 63214D

• Makai Gaoh summons a wave of fire in front of him. This attack is invincible, covers a great amount of range, chips a ton, pushes back, anti-airs and can juggle into itself. Stay out of this move's range if you can, but if you are in range (which you probably will be) then the best thing you can do is to just block. Only attempt to jump over this when you're very close to him.

Wailing Firearm - 623D

• Gaoh's command grab. Deals very good damage. Annoying when paired with his warps.

Supers

Onibi Blaze - 236AB

• Sugoroku's WFT on steroids. There is no hitting Makai Gaoh off of his demon horse, and he covers an amazing vertical area while also traversing the whole screen. This deals multiple hits, so it can also do a good job at chipping you to death. Makai Gaoh is likely to land this after spamming a few fire waves and other specials, so space yourself if you can and sit tight ready to block. At the end, Makai Gaoh leaps from the screen and recovers a bit on the ground. You can either attempt to punish his fall with a strike or, more safely, punish his landing with a throw. Unless your name is Suija then don't even think about jumping when he has meter.