j.A: Can't decide if it wants to be a jump-in or an air-to-air. Ends up sucking at both. Cross-up exists and is the most awkward of 3.
j.B: Nice kick angle for jump-in, can cross-up.
j.C: Good committal jump-in swing with some start-up.
j.D: Alright jump-in, best option for air-to-air. Difficult cross-up that you can't land on short characters and a number of crouchers.
Blowback Attack
Pressing the E button while blocking will allow Kaede to counter with the 2nd hit of his qcb+A, and he will then tag out.
Throw
Ittou Rai Tei: b/f + CD (also in air)
Can be broken on ground. Kaede jumps with the opponent and rolls over them as they hit the ground, Kaede recovering first and in position to cross-up j.B with a normal forward jump.
Air throw prompts a lightning bolt to strike as Kaede and his opponent land, doing a bit more damage and leaving Kaede in the same okizeme position as ground throw.
Cannot be combo'd into after command grab like in The Last Blade duology.
Regardless of what direction you held beforehand, Kaede will do the throw in the opposite direction he was facing (e.g. Kaede faces right, air throw has him roll left over the opponent, is still facing right).
Command Moves
Pounce Attack: 3C | df+C on downed opponent
An OTG that Kaede has a few routes to guarantee use of after hard knockdown. Primarily qcb+C, and qcfx2+p on airborne opponents.
High and low deflects. Window to counter is not generous and pretty brief.
For high deflect, if you anti-air the opponent they'll be sent straight up.
A successful deflect can be super-canceled or canceled into regular, but not Special, Dual Assault. qcb,hcf+C is ill-advised, as you'll do less damage with 4/5 bolts there than A version with 5/5.
Itsutou Kagura Nobari: BD after successful ground repel
If you've done an anti-air deflect, you might to have to wait briefly before pressing BD or you'll miss.
Use this instead of qcb,hcf+A if deflection was point-blank or in the corner. Missing just one lightning bolt will lead to less damage than this follow-up.
REPEL: Setsuna Shundan (6+BD in air)
Functions only against other aerial moves. If successful, the opponent will freeze, allowing Kaede to land first and take advantage of a juggle opportunity. Does soft knockdown if not followed through.
If nothing is deflected, Kaede suffers almost a second of landing lag.
Special Moves
Shinmei Hayate: 236+A/C | qcf+A/C
A lightning ball that travels across the ground. A version has more start-up and travels slower than the C version. Damage is the same.
Capable of nullifying flying "mid" fireballs like Akari's.
Shinmei Oite: 236+A/C | qcf+A/C in air
Same technique as Shinmei Hayate, where the lightning ball is fired at a down-forward direction. Damage is the same between A and C.
A version doesn't interrupt Kaede's jump arc while C halts his momentum, getting pushed up (which also causes the lightning ball to come out of Kaede from a higher height than A) and back a small distance. This can mix up his position on landing.
Has almost a full second of landing lag.
Shinmei Kuga: 623+A/C | dp+A/C
Standard DP that can combo from lights.
A version has invuln only until the hit and travels up less, while C rises further and has invincibility suited for risky reversal.
Has a 2nd hit in the lightning bolt that comes after the slash. This won't hit on its own or if the opponent was on the ground when hit by the 1st hit, but rather as a reward for successful anti-air with the first half of this move. Ends up nearly doubling the damage.
Getting both hits of dp is possible after command grab. Both DPs deal the same damage if both hits connect (for one hit, C does slightly more), so waiting for the opponent to reach the peak before their fall before doing dp+C is the most consistent method.
Shinmei Renjin Zan: 214+A/C | qcb+A/C
Two different autorun 3-slash combos depending on the button. Either of the first 2 hits of both versions can be super-canceled.
A version does 3 attacks in quick succession. Can combo from lights, is slightly negative on block, and deals notable guard damage; about 1/6 if all hits are guarded.
C version gives a bit of start-up before the run that does have some invincibility, though none for the run itself. The 2nd and 3rd hit has a small gap where the opponent must block high or be hit be a deceptively down-reaching overhead. This overhead is a jump attack that is actually safer on block than the last hit of qcb+A. It also leads to a sliding hard knockdown where Kaede can use df+C after, even midscreen where he has a fairly generous window to run into range.
Does not combo from normals but can be used after Kaede's command grab where the 3rd hit will miss, but you can then do dp+A (1 hit) with the right timing.
If you intend to use this move after command grab, know that the timing for qcb+A is later than qcb+C. A good indicator of when to do qcb+C is right after Kaede's "Kurae na" voice line. qcb+A will require you to eyeball the opponent for right before they land, almost when next to standing Kaede. Mistiming for either version could lead to either a full whiff, or only landing the 1st hit. That latter note can be a problem for out-of-corner qcb+C (2) into qcb,hcf+A, where you need the 2nd hit for how it positions the opponent for the juggle.
A super-cancel done on the 2nd hit of either version will enable Kaede's Special Dual Assault with Moriya, regardless of if qcb+p was blocked or if the desperation move gets blocked or whiffs.
Shinmei Tabakaze: 214+B/D | qcb+B/D
A command roll with very minimal application. May low-profile some things, but not reliable for that purpose.
B version quickly moves Kaede roughly a character and a half forward. D version takes a bit longer to finish, almost making it halfway across a fully zoomed-out screen.
Last Blade 2 players may recall Power mode Kaede using this to get to the opponent and follow up after a strong kick put the opponent to a wall. The closest thing to that here is after getting both hits of cl.C, where the roll can get Kaede right in the opponent's face by the time they land, which could lead to a command grab either raw or from cr.B. Use D version when out of the corner, otherwise B version for the shorter animation.
Shinmei Arashi Uchi: [close] 41236+B/D | hcf+B/D
A whiff-able command grab that serves as one of Kaede's greatest combo openers. No differences in frame data or damage between B/D.
Gives a juggle opportunity with a sizeable selection of follow-ups, see combo section.
Can combo from cl.C (1) or any cl./cr. light normal.
Desperation Moves
Kasshin Fukuryu: 214,41236+A/C | qcb,hcf+A/C
Kaede strikes the ground and causes 5 lightning bolts to fire down one after the other. Costs 1 meter.
A version has nearly unreliable invuln but is the one you want to use for combos, since the bolts stay closer together allowing all the hits to connect unless in the corner.
C version serves as the defensive variation; Kaede is invincible from the prolonged start-up of this super until he summons the first bolt. There is more damage attached, but the bolts spread out further.
Kasshin Seiryu: 236x2+A/C | qcfx2+A/C
Kaede doubles the length of his katana, before slamming the electrified blade/baton in a downward motion. Costs 2 meter.
A version is like the training wheels version of this move. It's faster than C and thus can combo from the 2nd hit of qcb+A, invulnerable only during the super flash, but does almost 1/3 damage less than the C version.
C version possesses invincibility until Kaede starts his swing. Can connect after a super-canceled qcb+p on a midair opponent; either hit 1/2 of qcb+A and only the 1st of qcb+C. It can also combo after the first hit of qcb+A on grounded opponents.
If this move hits an airborne opponent, their received knockdown is sliding across the ground instead of bouncing off. This gives Kaede the opportunity to (run if midscreen and) use df+C.
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