Samurai Shodown VI/Earthquake

Introduction

It's just water weight.

Earthquake is characterised by massive pokes and extra movement options to support those massive pokes, allowing him to bully the opponent easily. He has a few other dirty tricks as well, such as instant overheads which also frame trap and a rush special which can take the opponent's weapon completely offscreen. His weakness is that despite his tricky movement he's still a big target, and his damage is on the lower side to compensate for how much space his pokes take up. Also most of his moves have the word "Fat" in the title which is actually really mean.

Data

• Dash type: Run
• Damage taken: 100%
• Rage retention: 195
• Rage duration: 7 seconds

Gameplan

Earthquake has a strong selection of pokes at his disposal. Starting small, he has 5A and jA as decent defensive pokes and anti-air checks, 2D and 66D as lower defensive pokes, 3D as a slide, 5B as a general poke, 2B and 66C as even longer-ranged sweeps which are immune to recoil cancels and his leaping overhead (3C) which can low crush easily. However, it's when his chains start extending far where his poking game really starts to shine. 5C, 2C, jB and jC all reach insanely far, and with the exception of 5C they are all immune to deflects. jB and jC are strengthened when Earthquake is close enough to the wall; Triangle Get Off means he can poke reliably from a lower height with jB, while a Triangle Jump gives him just enough reach to snipe an opponent at the other end of the screen with jC. With these pokes it is easy to create a wall of hitboxes to suffocate your opponent with.

This poking game is brought to a halt if your opponent has a good fireball. Earthquake has two anti-fireball manuevers: his fire breath (214S), which can serve as a defensive poke as it eats fireballs and can stuff most pokes, and his teleport (6321AD) which is slow but rewarding if it catches an opponent trying to set up a fireball. The only other defense against fireballs is to simply jump over them and attempt to snipe with jC.

Earthquake doesn't have the best damage output to compensate for his poking prowess, but he does have a few dirty tricks to shift the match in his favour. His 66C, a low, has a cancellable period at its recovery which Earthquake can use to cancel into his overhead special (623D), which deals good damage and results in a hard knockdown. This particular special has decent range and is immune to throws, so Earthquake can use it on its own as a ranged poke if it has a chance of catching something from the opponent. Furthermore his 66B, a running overhead, has a kara cancel window at the start. His Fat Buzzsaw (236S) has more strike invulnerability depending on the version, and while it's unsafe Earthquake travels very far with it, pushing the opponent very far into the corner and potentially pushing their weapon offscreen if they have been disarmed. This latter scenario is a real possibility, as Earthquake's WFT has startup invincibility, reaches just as far as 623D and is easy to land given how little damage it takes for Earthquake to Rage.

Earthquake gets a fair bit out of II Spirit, as rolls give him an easier time landing 623D punishes and as a big target he benefits strongly from the invincible Rage pose (he can also use Toy Transformation for a lower profile). Furthermore being able to destroy the opponent's weapon makes them very easy to bully. IV Spirit is also a viable choice, as Continuous Slash IV can build Rage easily for Earthquake and his only good Continuous Slash II juggle is into his WFT. While Earthquake enjoys having access to side step and circle step, he doesn't need III Spirit's air parry when he usually pokes from a distance anyway. I Spirit may also be used because it gives Earthquake a highly-damaging poke with the same range as his 5C.

Normal Moves

Far Slashes

• 5A - A quick jab with the blade. Hits pretty high up. Not cancellable.
• 5B - Earthquake slams the weight a bit in front of him. Has decent range but doesn't recoil.
• 5C - A three-hit chain attack with very long range. The chain is thrusted a bit downward.
• 2A - 5A but lower.
• 2B - A sweep with the weight which reaches further than 5B. Hits low and is immune to deflects, but doesn't recoil.
• 2C - A straight 5C but closer to the ground and it hits low. Immune to deflects.

Near Slashes

• n5A - Same as far version.
• n5B - n5A but heavier. Oddly this is not cancellable.
• n5C - n5B but even heavier. Obviously this isn't cancellable either, but it deals the most damage out of your punishes. Can link into Continuous Slash on counter hit.
• n2A - Same as far version.
• n2B - n5B but lower. Still not cancellable.
• n2C - Same as far version.

Kicks

• 5D - Here is Earthquake's hit confirm, a two-hit forward kick. The second hit is cancellable.
• 6D - Earthquake kicks forward then falls on his ass. This is way less punishable than it was in Samurai Shodown II but you're still not getting away with this scot free.
• 2D - This reaches further than other 2Ds tend to but it doesn't hit low.
• 3D - A short slide. Hits low and knocks down.

Dash Normals

• 66A - Running 5A. Can be used as a running anti-air or pressure tool of sorts.
• 66B - Earthquake pauses, then leaps forward ass-first. This is an overhead which causes a soft knockdown. The startup is kara cancellable.
• 66C - Running 2B but it deals more damage. You can make this safer with good spacing, but for some reason it's actually plus on block already. The recovery is cancellable, so if the opponent blocks this close you can cancel into 623D for an overhead.
• 66D - Running 2D. Still doesn't hit low, sorry.

Air Normals

• jA - Aerial 5A. Useful as a quick air-to-air as it covers the area above Earthquake better than his other buttons.
• jB - Aerial 2C, but it only deals one hit for little damage. But it's still 2C's reach, so you'll do just fine without big damage on this. Very strong air-to-air for opponents at Earthquake's level mid-jump.
• jC - Aerial 5C, with three hits of aerial terror. The last two hits are heavy attacks, so this move will cause a knockdown if both of them hit. This is way too slow to be used as an instant overhead but the amount of space you occupy with this is insane. Very annoying pestering tool combined with Earthquake's high jump.
• jD - Earthquake falls ass-first. This is pretty slow but has heavy hitstun and can lead into combos easily enough when used as a jump-in. Does not crossup.

Unarmed Normals

• u5S - Standing punch.
• u2S - Crouching punch.
• u66S - Running punch. Knocks them down in place as opposed to launching them away.
• juS - Aerial punch.

Hyper Slash (I)

• A+B - A single-hit variant of his 5C. Deals average damage for a Hyper Slash (that is to say, still a hefty amount), but you're still dealing with 5C's amazing range.

Command Moves

Triangle Jump - j9 near wall

• Earthquake is a ninja so he can do this. He will actually leap off a great distance, making it easier for him to land with jD or something close. From fullscreen you can triangle jump then jC and it will hit. Use this for bullying.

Triangle Get Off - j3 near wall

• Useful for spacing jB pokes vertically.

6C

• A leaping overhead as Earthquake extends his chain a bit. This causes a soft knockdown quickly after the hit. Earthquake doesn't move forward or backward, which is okay given this thing has decent range. Overall a decent poke.

Special Moves

Fat Breath - 214S, can be done unarmed

• Earthquake breathes a large wall of fire at his feet. Strength determines the startup, how long the fire lasts, damage and the recovery. 214C is further telegraphed as Earthquake will flash just before breathing fire, but it is unique in that it beats throws while he's flashing. This fire can negate the opponent's projectiles. This move is useful as a recoil cancel option, far anti-air and chipping tool.

Bounding Fat - j2S, can be done unarmed

• Earthquake drops straight down on his ass for an overhead hit. j2A will have no further followups, but j2B will bounce forward once while j2C will do so three times. None of these hits knock down, and the hits from each bounce do not link into each other. This move can be used as an instant overhead, but because it's unsafe Earthquake can use the other versions to frame trap the opponent. Can deal a mean amount of chip, which is useful if the opponent is close to death.

Fat Chainsaw - 236S (Samurai Drive)

• Earthquake disappears in a puff of smoke, then starts rolling quickly in a straight line. The last hit will always result in a soft knockdown. Strength determines the delay before Earthquake reappears, how far he rolls for and the amount of hits. 623A is useful as a recoil cancel option while the other versions are good for punishes. If you have disarmed your opponent in the corner then 623C is particularly good for pushing the weapon offscreen. Earthquake is fully invincible while he's invisible.

Fat Replica Attack - 6321AD, can be done unarmed

• Earthquake disappears in a puff of smoke, then reappears above the opponent for an overhead belly flop which knocks down. He will bounce back if he hits the opponent, but will simply land if he hits the ground. This move has its use for punishes Earthquake can't manage otherwise, such as a fireball callout, or as a risky recoil cancel option. In this game it can also be used to catch short rolls. Earthquake is fully invincible while he's invisible.

Skunk Burst - 623D, can be done unarmed

• Earthquake reaches forward for a grab. After farting in the opponent's face Earthquake tosses them away for a hard knockdown. Despite appearances, this isn't a command grab, but an overhead. It still beats throws, though. Pretty bad recovery given its mixup potential but you can hit confirm into this safely via 5D.

Toy Transformation - 6464642E (II)

Supers

Earth's Thunderation Crunch - 236AB

• Hitgrab super. Earthquake will reach forward five times, with each grab dealing two hits of chip damage. This has invincibility on startup but it's very brief and doesn't follow all the way to the hit, however the priority is very good. Earthquake is able to move left or right throughout its duration. Hitting with this will lead to big damage and a hard knockdown. This super is very fast and will combo from the same things 623D will.

Fat Guillotine - 641236BC (II), 236BC (VI) (Samurai Drive)

• Earthquake disappears, then reappears as a buzzsaw, leaps up a short distance for an overhead then pushes the opponent forward over many hits, ending with a fart and a butt slam for good measure. The ender appears to have a tendency to whiff if this move is done on its own, but if you confirm into it from 5D you won't have such an issue. The startup is telegraphed by the super flash so the overhead quality is only good for knowledge checks.

Combos

Standard Combos

• 5D 236A/623D/236AB - Combos from 5D. Bear in mind his close mediums don't combo for some reason.
• 66A/u5S/u2S, 5D - Counter hit links.
• n5C, 5D - Corner only counter hit link.

Continuous Slash (IV)

• n5C, A+B - Counter hit links into A+B.
• A+B BBC 236A/236AB - Juggle combos. The damage output and advantage with 236A is pathetic but it's your only meterless ender. Use A+B AABBCCC instead because it builds Rage, deals good damage and its animation is pretty cool.

Frame Data - Provided by Tekitogate

Attack	Startup	On Hit	On Standing Block	On Crouching Block	Notes
n2A	7	-1	-2	+3
5A	10	-6	-2	+3
2A	10	+2	-2	+3
66A	8	-2	-6	-1
jA	10	N/A	N/A	N/A
n5B	12	-1	-8	-3
n2B	7	-5	-8	-3
5B	14	-2	-14	-9
2B	14	KD	N/A	-6
66B	21	KD	-38	N/A
jB	15	N/A	N/A	N/A
n5C	15	+1~+2	-20	-15
5C	18	0	-28	-23
2C	17	+1	N/A	-15
66C	13	KD	N/A	+1
jC	18	N/A	N/A	N/A
6B	27	KD	-27	N/A
5D	4	+2	-11	-6
6D	11	KD	-29	-25
2D	9	-3	-15	-10
3D	5	KD	N/A	-10	Active for 11 frames
66D	6	KD	-13	-8
jD	22	N/A	N/A	N/A
Hyper Slash	33	KD	-53	-43
Continuous Slash	10	N/A	-20	-15

Colors

External Links

• Seesaa wiki