Samurai Shodown VI/Gen-An

Introduction

Gen-An is still a cheap bastard. Very strong pokes, effective setplay with poison puffs and the addition of a wall dive all make for one annoying matchup. The roll can be punished so don't be a scrub.

Data

• Dash type: Step
• Damage taken: 109%
• Rage retention: 115
• Rage duration: 14 seconds

Gameplan

Gen-An has a pretty solid poking game. 5B, 2A and 2B are all good pokes which reach further than you would expect, and at poking range he can use his extremely fast step dash to close the gap and go for throws, usually backed up by 2D for tick throw attempts. 5C is a very strong punish tool, but with its inability to recoil and Gen-An's questionable defense rating you have to be absolutely sure it's going to hit. Gen-An is spoiled for anti-airs as well, with his 2C being particularly strong and his air-to-airs in jB and jC being quite serviceable as well, especially the former which actually hits above him as well as in front. These air-to-airs can be further combined with Triangle Get Off for more pestering if Gen-An finds himself in the corner. Additionally he can use his roll (623S) to punish both on the ground and in the air for its huge hitbox around him and its ability to score a knockdown.

Gen-An mainly wants to set up poison puffs (236S), which are useful for occupying space and for locking the opponent in place for a mixup. Talon Claw (63214D), a fullscreen chain poke, has the unique property of bringing the opponent close to Gen-An if they block it, but he is only advantageous if he has a puff in front of him for them to be pulled into. 63214D is susceptible to jump-ins and the puff beforehand is telegraphed, so Gen-An can play with this threat and opt to fish with his anti-airs instead. If Gen-An sets up a puff over an opponent's knockdown safely he can then go for wall dives (214S~S) safely without the opponent being able to escape them. These work exactly like Vega's wall dives in that Gen-An will target the opponent's position as he leaps off the wall, but he can alter his movement left or right not only for ambiguous crossups but also for fakeouts by steering away from the opponent, allowing him to bait something big like an anti-air attempt. Additionally, he can simply fall off the wall (214[S]~D) to get a Triangle Get Off instead, which has its uses for pressing an advantage and for a defensive poke if an opponent in neutral tries to stop you. If you're familiar with how Vega works you'll probably do just fine with Gen-An.

Gen-An builds Rage quickly and he gains access to a very strong WFT which he holds onto for long. He doesn't get much out of IV Spirit's Continuous Slashes and he appreciates having a disarmed opponent on his hands, so II Spirit is the way to go. In addition to giving him a free reversal after getting Raged, II also grants Gen-An extra mobility with the advanced movement system, with roll cancels being particularly useful for evading and spacing.

Normal Moves

Far Slashes

• 5A - A quick stab forward. Can be useful for stuffing aerial approaches if spaced far enough.
• 5B - Has deceptively more range than 5A even though it looks the same, making it a decent poke. Will hit at round start.
• 5C - Be careful with this move. It has great damage, speed and range, but not only does it not recoil but Gen-An wastes time walking forward a bit afterwards, making it very easy to punish. This hits OTG for small damage.
• 2A - A quick dig with more range than 5B.
• 2B - Has the same range as 2A. Potentially his best poke but also the most susceptible to deephits.
• 2C - An anti-air with disgustingly good range for its job, both horizontally and vertically. Recoils on block but is not cancellable. Great frame advantage on hit.

Near Slashes

• n5A - A light hook. Not cancellable.
• n5B - n5A but heavier. Special cancellable.
• n5C - Standing 2C but it's even better because it's special cancellable. Has a very lenient proximity window and also has nice frame advantage.
• n2A - n5A but lower. Not cancellable.
• n2B - n5B but lower. Special cancellable.
• n2C - Same as far version.

Kicks

• 5D - A forward kick. Special cancellable.
• 6D - An upward kick. Launches the opponent upward and is special cancellable, but it won't combo into anything. Instead, Gen-An can set up a poison puff with this.
• 2D - A very quick forward slide. Hits low. Be careful with spamming this because he can be thrown during the gaps even on hit.
• 3D - A better slide, travelling further, dealing more damage and causing a knockdown. A lot less safe, though.

Air Normals

• jA - Aerial n5A. Quick but short-ranged and not very active.
• jB - An upward swing. Useful as an air-to-air, both for hitting straight out and above him.
• jC - A quick crossup swing. This is a great jump-in which is easy enough to combo from, but depending on the matchup performing crossups with this may be difficult.
• jD - A forward kick. Reaches further than jA and juS but less than jB. His most active air normal.

Unarmed Normals

• u5S - Standing hook.
• u2S - Crouching hook.
• juS - Aerial hook.

Command Moves

Triangle Jump - j9 near wall

• Gen-An leaps far forward off the wall. It looks a bit similar to his wall dive but you don't have any extra control of his air mobility. This is useful for spacing crossups with jC.

Triangle Get Off - j3 near wall

• This is mainly used to bully with jB when in the corner, as it reaches far and covers a high area above him.

4D, can be done unarmed

• An overhead hop kick. Gen-An leaps forward a bit. This reaches very high and will actually miss on some crouching opponents, including Gen-An himself. Furthermore it deals low damage and doesn't even knock down. It's more useful as a high profile move than an actual mixup tool, or for any purpose involving hitting the opponent.

Special Moves

Poison Cloud Puff - 236S, can be done unarmed (Samurai Drive)

• Gen-An takes a moment to fetch his bottle of poison, then blows a massive purple cloud in front of him. Strength determines the distance. The cloud's hitbox will stay dormant as long as it remains transparent, but will turn active once it turns opaque. This deals very little damage but once it's active it will stay out for a while, covering a decent amount of ground and causing a soft knockdown on hit. This is great for setplay, as if you set this up then perform a light wall dive then if the opponent blocked the puff then the ensuing 50/50 will leave the opponent with very few opportunities to escape. Otherwise as a zoning tool it can be used to make many of his pokes safe.

Slaughterhouse Tumble - 623S, can be done unarmed (Samurai Drive)

• Gen-An immediately starts spinning forward, covering the area around him. If this makes contact with the opponent or the wall then Gen-An will bounce back, still spinning around him until he hits the ground, in which he will recover instantly. This deals low damage unless Gen-An makes contact, which will result in decent damage and a soft knockdown. Strength determines the movement speed, how far Gen-An travels before stopping, the damage output on contact and the size of his jump. 623C is Gen-An's most reliable combo ender but other strengths will work from close mediums. These are all viable as anti-airs and recoil cancel options and are tricky to punish.

Talon Grab - 63214D

• Gen-An extends his claws straight out with a chain, reaching fullscreen. On hit it does very little damage while pushing the opponent back a fair bit - up close Gen-An can link from this into 5C or 623C. On block, however, it actually pulls the opponent next to him. On its own Gen-An is minus after doing this, but the opponent is left out far enough that you can't be punished with a throw. If you have set up a puff to pull the opponent into the Gen-An will be plus.
• The opponent will be air reset if hit by this while airborne.

Wall Stick (Reverse Jump) - 214S

• A wall dive sequence. Gen-An performs a backward jump where he cannot perform any moves. If this touches the wall he clings onto it then jumps off. Strength determines how high he leaps, which can be used to mess with the opponent's anti-airs and can aid in timerscam. Gen-An leaps off the wall targeted at the opponent's current position, but he can alter his trajectory by moving the stick left or right. This is great for crossups and for baiting anti-airs.
• Wall Stick (Stick On Wall) - [S] during 214S
  • Gen-An can delay his leap from the wall for up to a second before he hops off naturally. He is sprawled vertically along the wall and is easy enough to snipe.
  • Wall Stick (Get Off From Wall) - D during 214[S]
    • Effectively a Triangle Get Off. Gen-An is allowed to perform any aerial attack as he falls.
  • Wall Stick (Jump From Wall) - ]S[ during 214[S]
    • Releasing the button will result in Gen-An jumping from the wall. If Gen-An lands normally without attacking then there will still be some extra recovery for when he lands just like when he performs the followup, so this is really only good if you don't want to extend Gen-An's hurtbox.
    • Head Cutter - S during 214]S[ (Samurai Drive)
      • Exactly like Vega's wall dive but there's no Izuna Drop to complement it. This has a wide crossup hitbox and it reaches far in both directions, allowing it to catch backdashes and other evasive manuevers. On hit the opponent will fall straight to the ground for a soft knockdown. There is a bit of landing recovery if it misses but not much - if the opponent is running III or IV Spirit and performs a dodge then you can simply throw them after you recover. Gen-An can not perform any other moves during the wall dive, not even his jD or an air parry in III Spirit.

Toy Transformation - 321421E (II)

Supers

M.D.C. (Magic Diving Claw) - 236AB

• After the flash Gen-An starts running at the opponent from fullscreen. This is a hitgrab where, on hit, Gen-An starts drilling into the opponent's chest before jumping back nearly fullscreen, leaving them in a hard knockdown state. On block he will trip over for a while, leaving him extremely punishable. He will trip after running for too long, but not for nearly as long. This combos from pretty much everything you'd need it to and can be used as a fullscreen punish.

Hell's Slaughterhouse Tumble - 632146BC (II), 236BC (VI)

• Gen-An leaps forward a bit to spin in place. If this catches an opponent it will bring them upward for a spike which deals decent damage. Gen-An is fully invincible during this attack until the recovery where he walks forward a bit. Despite appearances this deals no chip damage. This combos from the same things 623C does.

Combos

Standard Combos

• n5B/n5C/n2B/5D 623C/236AB - Weaker versions of 623S may be used in some situations but it's not worth it.
• 63214D, 5C/623C - Point blank links. If done any further out these will whiff.
• n5C 63214D, 236AB - Surprisingly, this works from anywhere n5C will hit.
• n5C/2C, 2B - Mainly for tacking on extra damage after 2C. 2A works as well and is easier.
• n5C/2C, n5B/n2B - Backhit only.

Continuous Slash (IV)

• n5C, A+B - Backhit only.
• A+B BBC 623A/236AB - For whatever reason 623S causes an air reset when used here, so 623A is the only version that doesn't leave him vulnerable on hit. You may want to go with AABBCCC to boost your Rage instead.

Rage Explosion (IV, V)

• 236S, ABC - Unblockable puff setup. Low damage but it's a knockdown guaranteed.

Colors

External Links

• Seesaa wiki