Haohmaru, the drunk and lovable protagonist of the series is back, and he’s coming back swinging. While both Techniques lost some of their stronger gimmicks in the shift from SS3 to SS4, Haohmaru is still both an honest midrange character and also a complete and total gorilla.
Slash
Slash, sadly, lost almost everything that gave him an identity apart from Bust in SamSho 4. He lost his air specials and Zankousen from SamSho 3, and gained hardly anything new to make up for it. This means his gameplay is basic Haohmaru stuff with relatively little spice. He’s got everything he needs to succeed, and is absolutely one of the stronger characters, but Bust has all of that combined with way better offensive and defensive presence.
Bust
Bust’s moveset is kept mostly intact, with nerfs across the board. He’s not going to be turning fireballs into infinites this time, but his tools and combos remain some of the most potent in the entire game. In spite of the toning down Gou Ha received, it still manages to open up an infinite that can be done regardless of screen position. Even if he didn’t have everything better by default in this Technique, Gou Ha alone would still render Bust the superior pick.
While still strong, there's not much reason to pick Slash over Bust
Normals
Far Slashes
f5A
Damage(Rage)
Chip Damage (Rage)
Startup
Active
Recovery
Hit Adv
Block Adv
Deflect
Guard
Cancel
Unarmed
8(9)
-
-
-
-
-
Yes
Mid
Yes
No
A somewhat fast swing with stubby range.
f5B
Damage(Rage)
Chip Damage (Rage)
Startup
Active
Recovery
Hit Adv
Block Adv
Deflect
Guard
Cancel
Unarmed
17-15(20-18)
-
-
-
-
-
Yes
Mid
Yes
No
A somewhat slow, but decent-range poke.
f5C
Damage(Rage)
Chip Damage (Rage)
Startup
Active
Recovery
Hit Adv
Block Adv
Deflect
Guard
Cancel
Unarmed
39(46)
-
-
-
-
-
Yes
Mid
No
No
A slow, but long-range attack. Longer range and new visual effects during Rage.
f2A
Damage(Rage)
Chip Damage (Rage)
Startup
Active
Recovery
Hit Adv
Block Adv
Deflect
Guard
Cancel
Unarmed
8(9)
-
-
-
-
-
No
Mid
Yes
No
Slower version of f5A, but crouching.
f2B
Damage(Rage)
Chip Damage (Rage)
Startup
Active
Recovery
Hit Adv
Block Adv
Deflect
Guard
Cancel
Unarmed
17(22)
-
-
-
-
-
Yes
Mid
Yes
No
Similar to f2A, but does more damage.
f2C
Damage(Rage)
Chip Damage (Rage)
Startup
Active
Recovery
Hit Adv
Block Adv
Deflect
Guard
Cancel
Unarmed
36,23(42,27)
-
-
-
-
-
Yes
Mid
No
No
A somewhat slow upwards swing. Works as an anti air.
Near Slashes
n5A
Damage(Rage)
Chip Damage (Rage)
Startup
Active
Recovery
Hit Adv
Block Adv
Deflect
Guard
Cancel
Unarmed
8(9)
-
-
-
-
-
No
Mid
Yes
No
A quick jab, his fastest normal by far.
n5B
Damage(Rage)
Chip Damage (Rage)
Startup
Active
Recovery
Hit Adv
Block Adv
Deflect
Guard
Cancel
Unarmed
17(20)
-
-
-
-
-
Yes
Mid
Yes
No
A quick slash that's useful for combos.
n5C
Damage(Rage)
Chip Damage (Rage)
Startup
Active
Recovery
Hit Adv
Block Adv
Deflect
Guard
Cancel
Unarmed
36(42)
-
-
-
-
-
Yes
Mid
No
No
A slow downward swing. noticeably faster than f5C.
n2A
Damage(Rage)
Chip Damage (Rage)
Startup
Active
Recovery
Hit Adv
Block Adv
Deflect
Guard
Cancel
Unarmed
8(9)
-
-
-
-
-
No
Mid
Yes
No
Same as n5A, only crouching.
n2B
Damage(Rage)
Chip Damage (Rage)
Startup
Active
Recovery
Hit Adv
Block Adv
Deflect
Guard
Cancel
Unarmed
19(22)
-
-
-
-
-
No
Mid
Yes
No
Slower version of n2A that can combo into things like n5B.
n2C
Damage(Rage)
Chip Damage (Rage)
Startup
Active
Recovery
Hit Adv
Block Adv
Deflect
Guard
Cancel
Unarmed
36,23(42,27)
-
-
-
-
-
Yes
Mid
No
No
Identical to f2C
Kicks
5D
Damage(Rage)
Chip Damage (Rage)
Startup
Active
Recovery
Hit Adv
Block Adv
Deflect
Guard
Cancel
Unarmed
8(9)
-
-
-
-
-
No
Mid
No
Both
A slow upward kick. Makes for an okay anti-air.
6D
Damage(Rage)
Chip Damage (Rage)
Startup
Active
Recovery
Hit Adv
Block Adv
Deflect
Guard
Cancel
Unarmed
3(4)
-
-
-
-
-
No
Low
No
Both
A low kick that does even less damage than 5D.
2D
Damage(Rage)
Chip Damage (Rage)
Startup
Active
Recovery
Hit Adv
Block Adv
Deflect
Guard
Cancel
Unarmed
4(5)
-
-
-
-
-
No
Low
No
Both
A low kick that is slightly faster, and does slightly more damage than 6D.
3D
Damage(Rage)
Chip Damage (Rage)
Startup
Active
Recovery
Hit Adv
Block Adv
Deflect
Guard
Cancel
Unarmed
8(9)
-
-
-
-
-
-
Low
No
Both
Haohmaru's Sweep. Slides forward and knocks down. You can get a light pursuit afterwards.
Jumping Normals
jA
Damage(Rage)
Chip Damage (Rage)
Startup
Active
Recovery
Hit Adv
Block Adv
Deflect
Guard
Cancel
Unarmed
8(9)
-
-
-
-
-
No
High
Landing
No
Jumping version of f5A. Makes for a good air-to-air.
jB
Damage(Rage)
Chip Damage (Rage)
Startup
Active
Recovery
Hit Adv
Block Adv
Deflect
Guard
Cancel
Unarmed
17(20)
-
-
-
-
-
No
High
Landing
No
A slower version of jA that does more damage.
jC
Damage(Rage)
Chip Damage (Rage)
Startup
Active
Recovery
Hit Adv
Block Adv
Deflect
Guard
Cancel
Unarmed
25(29)
-
-
-
-
-
No
High
Landing
No
An airborne downward swing. Makes for a decent air-to-air, but it has less range than j.A and j.B.
jD
Damage(Rage)
Chip Damage (Rage)
Startup
Active
Recovery
Hit Adv
Block Adv
Deflect
Guard
Cancel
Unarmed
8(9)
-
-
-
-
-
No
High
Landing
Both
A jumping Kick that has less range than j.A and j.B.
Dashing Normals
66A
Damage(Rage)
Chip Damage (Rage)
Startup
Active
Recovery
Hit Adv
Block Adv
Deflect
Guard
Cancel
Unarmed
13(16)
-
-
-
-
-
No
Mid
No
No
A running jab.
66B
Damage(Rage)
Chip Damage (Rage)
Startup
Active
Recovery
Hit Adv
Block Adv
Deflect
Guard
Cancel
Unarmed
17(21)
-
-
-
-
-
Yes
Mid
No
No
Basically c.5B, but you can't special cancel it.
66C
Damage(Rage)
Chip Damage (Rage)
Startup
Active
Recovery
Hit Adv
Block Adv
Deflect
Guard
Cancel
Unarmed
21(25)
-
-
-
-
-
Yes
Mid
No
No
A somewhat fast upward swing. Could potentially work as an anti-air. Knocks down on hit.
66D
Damage(Rage)
Chip Damage (Rage)
Startup
Active
Recovery
Hit Adv
Block Adv
Deflect
Guard
Cancel
Unarmed
5(6)
-
-
-
-
-
No
Low
No
Both
A running version of 3D that does less damage.
Unarmed Normals
u5S
Damage(Rage)
Chip Damage (Rage)
Startup
Active
Recovery
Hit Adv
Block Adv
Deflect
Guard
Cancel
Unarmed
3(4)
-
-
-
-
-
No
Mid
No
Yes
A stubby little punch that does pitiful damage and is unsafe.
u2S
Damage(Rage)
Chip Damage (Rage)
Startup
Active
Recovery
Hit Adv
Block Adv
Deflect
Guard
Cancel
Unarmed
3(4)
-
-
-
-
-
No
Mid
No
Yes
A crouching version of u.5S that's about just as unsafe.
juS
Damage(Rage)
Chip Damage (Rage)
Startup
Active
Recovery
Hit Adv
Block Adv
Deflect
Guard
Cancel
Unarmed
15(19)
-
-
-
-
-
No
High
Landing
Yes
A jumping version of u5S.
u66S
Damage(Rage)
Chip Damage (Rage)
Startup
Active
Recovery
Hit Adv
Block Adv
Deflect
Guard
Cancel
Unarmed
5(7)
-
-
-
-
-
No
Mid
No
Yes
A faster version of u5S that does slightly more damage.
Special Moves and WFTs
Both
Senpu Retsuzan 236S
Damage(Rage)
Chip Damage (Rage)
Startup
Active
Recovery
Hit Adv
Block Adv
Deflect
Guard
Cancel
Unarmed
8+18(9+18)
1(2)
-
-
-
-
-
No
Mid
No
No
Senpu Retsuzan is your standard fireball, with each slash button determining how far it flies and increasing recovery. You can follow up on it with a heavy pursuit, leading to fair damage for a low risk fireball. While Both Haohmarus have this move, Bust Haohmaru's version puts you an a juggle state while Slash Haohmaru's does not.
Kogetsu Zan 623S
Version
Damage(Rage)
Chip Damage (Rage)
Startup
Active
Recovery
Hit Adv
Block Adv
Deflect
Guard
Cancel
Unarmed
A
23+3(27+1*4)
1*2(2+1)
-
-
-
-
-
Yes
Mid
No
No
Version
Damage(Rage)
Chip Damage (Rage)
Startup
Active
Recovery
Hit Adv
Block Adv
Deflect
Guard
Cancel
Unarmed
B
23+1+3(27+1*4)
1*2(2+1)
-
-
-
-
-
Yes
Mid
No
No
Version
Damage(Rage)
Chip Damage (Rage)
Startup
Active
Recovery
Hit Adv
Block Adv
Deflect
Guard
Cancel
Unarmed
C
23+1+1+8(27+1*4)
1*2(2+1)
-
-
-
-
-
Yes
Mid
No
No
Kogetsu Zan is your DP, and a fine one at that. Effective as an anti-air, reversal, and your main combo tool. When raged, it does more hits+damage and allows you to land a heavy pursuit if your opponent is near the corner.
Shippu Kogetsu Zan 623S While Running
Version
Damage(Rage)
Chip Damage (Rage)
Startup
Active
Recovery
Hit Adv
Block Adv
Deflect
Guard
Cancel
Unarmed
A
17+6+8(21)
1*2(No change)
-
-
-
-
-
Yes
Mid
No
No
Version
Damage(Rage)
Chip Damage (Rage)
Startup
Active
Recovery
Hit Adv
Block Adv
Deflect
Guard
Cancel
Unarmed
B
17+1*3+8(21)
1*2(No change)
-
-
-
-
-
Yes
Mid
No
No
Version
Damage(Rage)
Chip Damage (Rage)
Startup
Active
Recovery
Hit Adv
Block Adv
Deflect
Guard
Cancel
Unarmed
C
17+1*4+8(21)
1*2(No change)
-
-
-
-
-
Yes
Mid
No
No
This is an alternate version of Kogetsu Zan that moves forward during the attack and inflicts a longer knockdown. The light version is the best of the bunch, as it nets you a free heavy pursuit afterwards.
This move does NOT function while Raged. It does 1 hit and doesn't knock down. Try not to use it during Rage.
Slash Only
Resshin Zan 421S
Version
Damage(Rage)
Chip Damage (Rage)
Startup
Active
Recovery
Hit Adv
Block Adv
Deflect
Guard
Cancel
Unarmed
A
[3*2]+17([4*2]+21)
1*3(1*2+2)
-
-
-
-
-
No
High
No
No
Version
Damage(Rage)
Chip Damage (Rage)
Startup
Active
Recovery
Hit Adv
Block Adv
Deflect
Guard
Cancel
Unarmed
B
[3*2]+23([4*2]+27)
1*3(1*2+2)
-
-
-
-
-
No
High
No
No
Version
Damage(Rage)
Chip Damage (Rage)
Startup
Active
Recovery
Hit Adv
Block Adv
Deflect
Guard
Cancel
Unarmed
C
[3*2]+25([4*2]+29)
1*3(1*2+2)
-
-
-
-
-
No
High
No
No
Resshin Zan is a gimmicky overhead special. All versions startup fast and knock down, with each slash button determining how far Haohmaru leaps. Spacing this so only the tip hits on block makes it somewhat safe.
Tenha Fujinzan (WFT) 4632AB
Damage(Rage)
Chip Damage (Rage)
Startup
Active
Recovery
Hit Adv
Block Adv
Deflect
Guard
Cancel
Unarmed
6+[4*2]+2+4+2+[6*2]+7+9
1*8
-
-
-
-
-
No
Mid
No
No
Tenha Fujinzan is a slightly below average WFT. Deals alright damage, and can be used as a reversal thanks to invincibility and quick startup. Due to not catching on hit, it doesn’t properly juggle airborne opponents and can be exploded out of, leaving Haohmaru with empty POW.
Bust Only
Senpuu Ha 236D
Damage(Rage)
Chip Damage (Rage)
Startup
Active
Recovery
Hit Adv
Block Adv
Deflect
Guard
Cancel
Unarmed
4+17
1*5(1+2*4)
-
-
-
-
-
No
Mid
No
No
Senpuu Ha is now fairly useless. It no longer hits overhead, and knocks down. It’s also unsafe on block and easy to punish, though it deals multiple hits of chip damage. Essentially now exists to come out when you wanted Gouha or maybe finish off a round.
Gouha 623D
Damage(Rage)
Chip Damage (Rage)
Startup
Active
Recovery
Hit Adv
Block Adv
Deflect
Guard
Cancel
Unarmed
8(9)
1(No Change)
-
-
-
-
-
No
Mid
No
Yes
Gouha received a startup nerf, but still puts the opponent in heavy hitstun allowing you to follow up with 623S, WFT, or a CD combo.
Nagi Yaiba 421S
Version
Damage(Rage)
Chip Damage (Rage)
Startup
Active
Recovery
Hit Adv
Block Adv
Deflect
Guard
Cancel
Unarmed
A
17+4(21+5)
1*2(2+1)
-
-
-
-
-
Yes
Mid
No
No
Version
Damage(Rage)
Chip Damage (Rage)
Startup
Active
Recovery
Hit Adv
Block Adv
Deflect
Guard
Cancel
Unarmed
B
17+4(21+5)
1*2(2+1)
-
-
-
-
-
Yes
Mid
No
No
Version
Damage(Rage)
Chip Damage (Rage)
Startup
Active
Recovery
Hit Adv
Block Adv
Deflect
Guard
Cancel
Unarmed
C
17+4(21+5)
1*2(2+1)
-
-
-
-
-
Yes
Mid
No
No
Nagi Yaiba still functions as both a parry and proximity move, and is only slightly less invincible. Is still a good combo tool and can be followed up with a heavy pursuit to increase damage, and allows juggles afterwards in the corner. Deceptively tough to punish on block.
Tenha Dankuu Retsu Zan (WFT) 4632AB
Damage(Rage)
Chip Damage (Rage)
Startup
Active
Recovery
Hit Adv
Block Adv
Deflect
Guard
Cancel
Unarmed
72
1
-
-
-
-
-
No
Mid
No
No
Tenha Dankuu Retsu Zan takes Tenha Fujinzan’s shortcomings and throws them in the garbage. It catches on hit for huge damage, will anti-air with ease, and can be used in whatever combo you throw it at. You even get a free light pursuit if you do this in the corner. Haohmaru is strong staying in rage, but the ability to cash out on almost any good opening for unexplodable damage is much stronger.
Combos
Universal
Throw > 5B or 66C
Back throw > 66A > 14-hit CD
Does not work on Nakoruru, Hanzo, Galford, or Kyoshiro
Throw > WFT
Throw > 14-hit CD
Does not work on Nakoruru, Rimururu, Hanzo, Kyoshiro, Genjuro, Basara, Shizumaru
Back throw > rising j.C > 14-hit CD or 5B > WFT
Only works on Kyoshiro, Gaira, Amakusa, Ukyo, Jubei, Zankuro
Slash
Bust
Back throw > [5B xx 623D]xN
Only works on Galford, Tam Tam, Zankuro. Infinite combo.