NIGHT WARRIORS: DARK STALKERS REVENGE Bishamon Character Guide version 1.1 By John "CUL" Culbert (tigeraid@geocities.com) Well, I have yet to see a detailed FAQ for the samurai, so this is it. I believe Bishamon to be tied as the best Darkstalker (next to Jon Talbain) and if played correctly he can be devastating. He is also a really cool character (Who else makes their opponent commit suicide?!) VERSION UPDATES: New URL and e-mail added to credits. ******* LEGEND: BUTTONS ******* .-------------Jab D-PAD | .-----------Strong | | .---------Fierce U/B U U/F | | | \|/ | | | B--o--F | | | /|\ O O O D/B D D/F O O O | | | | | | | | | | | ----------Roundhouse | ------------Forward -------------Short QCT= Quarter Circle Toward (roll D-Pad from D to F) HCT= Half Circle Toward (roll D-Pad from B to D to F) QCB= Quarter Circle Back (roll D-Pad from D to B) HCB= Half Circle Back (roll D-Pad from F to D to B) + = simultainiuosly ES = ESpecial move (requires two buttons) EX = Extra Special move (uses one energy level) GR = Guard Reversal A WORD ABOUT... Dashing: To dash forward, hit F, F quickly on the D-Pad. To dash back, tap B, B quickly. Bishamon dash forward is rated one of the fastest in the game! Color Selection: Depending on what buttons you use to select your fighter onthe character select screen, you will get one of their eight different colors. Roundhouse will give you the character's color from the original Darkstalkers, and Start gives you their alternate color from DS. You can also get a special dark color with Jab+Forward. Auto-Blocking: Two things happen when you've chosen the auto-blocking mode, both good if you're a beginner: a) your character will automatically block all attacks (up to 10 times per match, then it will relinquish control to you) b) by pressing all three punches or all three kicks, your character will automatically perform a three-hit Chain Combo (Jab -> Strong -> Fierce or Short -> Forward -> Roundhouse). You cannot perform your own Chain Combos however. Chain combos: Capcom has created a combo system allowing players to "chain" together normal attacks into a combo, "cancelling" the previous move's animation with the next in one smooth motion. These must be done in rapid succession--to perform a Chain Combo hit the enemy with a weak attack and cancel it quickly with the next attack in the following series: Jab -> Short -> Strong -> Forward -> Fierce -> Roundhouse So, if a character's moves could actually have the appropriate range, then they can do a six-hit Chain Combo. You can skip any of the hits, you don't have to follow with the NEXT hit in the series. Here's what each normal hit can cancel into: Jab -> any other button Short -> Strong, Forward, Fierce or Roundhouse Strong -> Forward, Fierce or Roundhouse Forward -> Fierce or Roundhouse Fierce -> Roundhouse Roundhouse -> N/A As well, you can put any version of the move in during a Chain, i.e. standing crouching or directional moves (moves that require you to press in a direction+a button). Sadly, unlike other games, if you perform a Chain Combo you can no longer cancel a move with a Special Move (eg. with Bishamon you can do a great combo with a standing Forward cancelled into a Snap Sword; but if you perform a standing Jab -> standing Forward, the Snap Sword will not come out. Special Meter: As you hit the enemy, perform Special Moves or get hit, the Special Meter will fill up. Once it is filled it will give you one level, then begin to build again. Both ES moves and EX moves require one level of this meter to perform, and I recommend building up more than one level, so you can use the good moves more often consecutively. Blocking: To block, hold in the opposite direction you are facing, or hold diagonal D/B to block low attacks. You can even block in the air. Throwing: Except for Anakaris, each character in NW has the ability to Throw the enemy with B or F+Fierce, Strong, Forward or Roundhouse (although not all characters have kick Throws). These must be done RIGHT up close, and can also be done in the air. In addition, each character has at least one Special Move Throw, that also has an ES version. Bishamon possesses one Throw with Strong or Fierce, plus a Special Move Throw. Some characters, including Bishamon, can perform Throws in the air. Throw Softening: If you hit Strong or Fierce in the beginning frames of your opponent's Throw, you can "soften" your leanding and take less damage, as well as landing on your feet in a better position to counterattack. Note: you cannot Soften Special Move or ES Throws. Pursuits: As your opponent falls to the ground, you can perform a sort of stomp on them for extra damage. To perform a Pursuit, hit U+any kick as the enemy hits the ground on their back. You can also perform an ES version for more damage with two kicks. Ground Recovery: After being knocked down emmediately tap Forward or Back and your character will elude the enemy while safely recovering. Your character is invincible when this is performed as they get up, and this will also avoid a lot of Pursuits... Guard Reversals: A new system of counterattacks in NW, these are performed during your fighter's BLOCKING animation and the opponent's attack recovery frames. Guard Reversals for each character vary, and are a version of one of their Special Moves. These must be done QUICKLY, just as your character blocks the enemy's attack, and they will then retaliate before the attacker can recover, making the Reversal unavoidable. Winning Icons: When a match is over, one ofthese icons will appear undertheir health meter: V = Victory - Won by a normal kick or punch S = Special - Won by finishing the opponent off with a special move, fireball or special grab ES = ESpecial - Won by finishing off the opponent with an augmented special move EX = Extra Special - Won by finishing off the opponent with an Extra- Special move T = Time - Won by having more energy than your opponent when time runs out D = Double K.O. - A round ends in wich both opponents defeat each other at the axact same time (trading hits that completely drain the energy of both characters. This can only happen where both players are given this under both of their meters and only 1 round remains. When a double K.O. occurs in the second round, the winner of the first round wins the match. Winning Quotes: There are four quotes for winning with every character: one for an excellent victory, one normal, one for a victory where you where nearly defeated, and one for a victory gained over a clone of your character. BISHAMON ======== -Type: Ghostly Samurai -Mini: Cherry tomato samurai (what he turns into when Anakaris hits him with royal judgement) -Ball: Grinning head with helmet (what he turns into for Raptor's Hell Dunk) QUOTES: "There is no honor in staining my blade with your blood" "There is no dishonor in falling before me, it's only natural." "You were a worthy opponent. I shall take your head with honor and hang it upon my wall with pride!" "A cheap imitation has no chance before me" WINNING STANCES: 1) Holds fingers to face and says something in Japanese 2) Stands as chestplate laughs 3) Bish causes his sword to disappear, float above his head in a ball, reform and drop in its sheath. 4) Orin appears in the flames at his shoulder; he turns his head and smiles 5) Bishamon disappears in a puff of smoke, and his chestplate floats around laughing. Colors: ARMOR TRIM SKIN ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jab: | dark blue | yellow | blue white Strong: | magenta | yellow | light blue Fierce: | dark blue | yellow | pink Short: | grass green | yellow | pink Forward: | red | yellow | light blue Roundhouse: | red | yellow | light blue (skin darker than Forward) Start: | dark blue | white | light blue Jab+Forward: | dark blue | yellow | yellow ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- SUICIDES: ######### (This is what happens to each character when hit with the ES version of a Snap Sword) ANAKARIS: Anakaris stretches his arms at a maximum as a huge sword appears in his hands. He drives it through his chest. DEMITRI: thrusts sword into stomach. DONOVAN: Sits down, then drives the sword in his stomach. He then yanks the sword to the side, spinning as he collapses. FELICIA: Gets down on her knees, bends her back and drives the sword into her belly. HSIEN-KO: Stands perfectly straight and stabs herself two-handed. HUITZIL: thrusts sword into stomach. JON TALBAIN: thrusts sword into stomach. LORD RAPTOR: Slides the sword in his rib cage then slices upwards. The cut part slides downwards. MORRIGAN ARNSLAND: thrusts sword into stomach. PYRON: thrusts sword into stomach. RIKUO: Takes the sword with his tongue and thrusts it through his throat. SASQUATCH: Opens his mouth wide an thrusts the sword into it. He then lets go of the sword and collapes, arms wiggling. VICTOR VON GERDENHEIM: Pulls his head off then stabs himself right into the neck BISHAMON: One handed, Bishamon drives his sword into the area right below his neck (I believe into his ghostly armor's eye). ############################################################################# SPECIAL MOVES LIST: ******************* -Pursuit; Jump `n' Stab: U+any kick on fallen opponent -Standard Throw; Shoulder Toss: F or B+Strong or Fierce (close) -Air Throw; One Handed Drop: any direction (except U)+Strong or Fierce -Grab `n' Rising Slash: HCB, U/B+any punch or HCT, U/F+any punch (close) -Seal of Death: U, U/F, F+any punch (in mid-air) -Snap Sword: HCT+any punch -The Divider: QCT+any punch (following successful Snap Sword) -The Retriever: B+any punch (following successful Snap Sword) -Rising Slash: F, D, D/F+any punch (following successful Retriever) -Rising Slash: F, D, D/F+any punch (see moves analysis--only under special conditions) -Long Spirit Strike: charge B, F+any punch -Low Spirit Strike: charge B, F+any kick -EX1; Bushido Crush: F, D/F, D, D/B+all three punches -EX2; Shadow Warrior Slash: B, D/B, D, D/F+all three kicks REGULAR MOVES LIST: ******************* Jab: standing: quick hook standing+F: quick cross slash crouching: low sword jab jumping: quick sword swing Strong: standing: down swing standing+F: long cross slash crouching: low sword jab jumping: medium sword swing Fierce: standing: upperslash standing+F: wide cross slash crouching: wide low slash jumping: power swing Short: standing: step kick standing+F: shin slice crouching: low shin slash jumping: down stab Forward: standing: toe stab standing+F: forward toe stab crouching: low swing jumping: far down stab Roundhouse: standing: power toe stab standing+F: groin stab crouching: wide low swing jumping: wide down stab REGULAR MOVES ANALYSIS: *********************** Normally I go into some detail with each attack, but this time I'll just put down the important ones: The Jabs are good for starting a Chain Combo, and come out fast with good recovery; they do almost no damage though, so you'd better continue into a combo. Standing Strong will hit three times up close, and the first hit can be cancelled into another attack in the Chain Combo. Does good damage with all hits, but if blocked Bish can be in trouble. Standing Fierce is his most powerful regular move, hitting up to three times on large opponent, twice on others. It is a decent air counter and a great Chain Combo finisher. Again, the recovery is its downfall, so make sure it connects. F+Fierce is his longest reaching attack, and does decent damage; use it to surprise foes from a distance, or to counter missed attacks when you're a distance away. It can be ducked. The crouching Fierce has the same properties as the above attack, but it hits low and has slightly less range. If jumped over Bish can be nailed, so be watchful; use it to counter high attacks that you've ducked. All of his kicks are his best Chains; holding F and hitting Short, Forward, then Roundhouse will give you a good three hit; when jumping in the best attack is the Roundhouse, leaving you considerably close for a combo. And of course, the standing Forward is IMO his best move in combos, as it can be cancelled into the Snap Sword for his best combo. It range isn't amazing, so use it in combos ALWAYS. MOVES ANALYSIS: *************** -Pursuit; Jump `n' Stab- (Bishamon jumps on a fallen opponent and stabs them with his sword) Pitiful damage, but hey, it's damage. There aren't too many places to put this in because moves of Bishamon's that knock the enemy down also give him slow recovery. One place to put it is after a Shoulder Toss. ES= stabs repeatedly ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- -Standard Throw; Shoulder Toss- (Bish grabs the enemy's arm and tosses them over his shoulder) This does respectable damage, and IMO is one of Bishamon's best moves; always follow it up with a Pursuit, especially an ES version, for good damage. ES= none ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- -Air Throw; One Handed Drop- (Bishamon grabs the opponent and tosses them to the ground with one hand) Damage is good, but it is difficult to get in. You must be pressing right up against the opponent in the air to do this. One good place to use it is if the enemy (eg. Dimitri) throws an air Fireball at the peak of his jump; if you can get under him, even by dashing, jump up and do the Air Drop before he lands. ES= none ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- -Grab `n' Rising Slash- (Bishamon grabs the opponent and performs a Rising Slash) A VERY potent move, use it in place of your Shoulder Toss once you've mastered it. It does great damage and looks AWESOME. It also has the advantage of an ES version, which does even more damage. You cannot follow up with a Pursuit because of Bish's recovery, however. BTW, I recommend performing the HCT, U/F motion as opposed to HCB, U/B with the ES version, because I find I frequently get the Bushido Crush by accident, which in a lot of cases can be a bad thing. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- -Seal of Death- (Bishamon sends a green flame a the opponent; if it connects, the ghost of his wife will hold the opponent) This basically makes up a cheesy Bishamon's repetiore (and there's nothing wrong with cheese!); when across the screen, constantly pester the enemy with these, because from that distance, it is difficult for the enemy to attack Bishamon on the way down, where he is most vulnerable. One thing to look out for would be Demetri's Fallen Angel or dashing Demon's Cradle, and EX moves like Morrigan's Valkyre Turn. Once this connects, do the Snap Sword EMMEDIATELY as you land followed by the Divider for a powerful hit. The ES version can help somewhat for catching jumpy opponents, but all in all you should save your meter for something else. ES= Bish sends two flames, one going low and the other high. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- -Snap Sword- (Bishamon throws his sword forward; if it connects, the enemy gets it in the gut and is momentarily stunned) This is Bishamon's greatest strength and also his greatest weakness. His recovery is horrible, so if the enemy blocks, they have an eternity to counter, especially up close. So, be careful where you use it; throw the Snap Sword if the enemy misses a slow recovering move (eg. Jon Talbain's Rising Kick) from a short distance, or inside of a combo (cancelling a standing Forward). NOTE: if you hit the enemy out of the air with the Snap Sword, they will simply be knocked down. Using the ES version is a LOT of fun, but other than for show is not really worth it. It is weaker than the Snap Sword followed by the Divider, and if you use it instead of the normal Snap Sword inside Bishamon's best combo it will not only cut it short but it will do less damage. The strength of the punch used determines how far Bish will throw the sword, but it also determines how long it takes to get back, speeding up his recovery time; so, if you wan't to recover fast in fear of counterattack, use Jab, but if you want it to reach the whole screen, use Fierce. ES= the opponent catchs Bish's sword and commits suicide. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- -The Divider- (After connecting with a Snap Sword, Bishamon yells and rushes the opponent; when he reaches them, he slices them in half through the gut, then again on the way back to his original position) IMO his best and coolest attack, if you finish the round with it you get to see a slow-mo of Bish literally cleaving the opponent in half! This is a VERY powerful move, doing around as much damage as some of his EXs! Whenever you grab with the Snap Sword this should be your choice for follow-up. Note that if you take too long it can be blocked even if it comes out. ES= none ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- -The Retriever- (Bishamon's opponent is flipped toward him after connecting a Snap Sword) -Rising Slash- (Bishamon juggles the enemy after the Retriever by rising into the air with a slash) These two moves can only be used in conjunction with each other, and despite their look are really not worth it. Not only is it not as satisfying as the Divider, but it does MUCH less damage and is difficult to time. On top of that, the Retriever only flips the enemy back so far, so you must be under half a screen away for the Retriever to bring your foe close enough to hit with the Rising Slash. See the Rising Slash section below for the Rising Slash ES. The Retriever has no ES. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- -Rising Slash- (Bishamon rises into the air with a multi-hitting slash) Not all it's cracked up to be. The Rising Slash can only be done in the following conditions: -following the Retriever (see above) -a guard reversal -after being knocked down (while rising) -when you land from a jump, a backward dash, air-blocking a move, or getting hit out of the air As a Guard Reversal it is quite potent and can do great damage, so in that case it is your primary weapon. As far as the other conditions go, the only one I use it in is after landing from a jump; this is because landing from a jump includes landing from a jumping ATTACK; so jumping in with Roundhouse and immediately performing the Rising Slash will give you a quick and powerful combo. Note: wherever you use the Rising Slash, substitute it with the ES version if you have the meter full. ES= more hits, more damage ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- -Long Spirit Strike- (Bishamon slashes his sword across in front of him) Use defensively, because although it comes out FAST and recovers FAST, you can still be countered with a jumping or crouching attack. It can be used in combos, and has a max of three hits. After blocking any slow recovering move (eg. Talbain's Beast Rush), counter with this at least (although in most cases a standing Forward -> Snap Sword -> Divider combo is of course better). As with the Rising Slash, if you have a meter full, use the ES version any time you usually use the normal version. The ES does MAJOR, MAJOR damage up close. ES= max 9 hits, a LOT more damage. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- -Low Spirit Strike- (Bish slashes his sword across the ground in front of him) Same range and same damage as the Long Spirit Strike, but has the advantage of hitting low. Use it at the least to surprise overconfindent foes who block high too much, or as a counte after you've ducked any high attack. Again, if you have a full meter, do the ES in any place you use the normal version. ES= max 9 htis, a LOT more damage. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- -EX1; Bushido Crush- (Bishamon leans back and a ghostly green fist surges forth from his chestplate's mouth; if at proper range, the fist will grab the enemy and squeeze the life out of them) If this grabs successfully, tap B and F repeatedly and hit all the punches for more squeezes (more damage). This does a LOT of damage if it grabs and you get all the squeezes. It can also be use in some combos. Its best asset is that like other Throws and Grabs it cannot be blocked (if the enemy is about 2 steps away or closer), so a good tactic with Bish is to pester the opponent with lots of Jabs and Shorts, which they will usually block, then surprise them with this! Its only real weakness is that jumping attacks can hit Bishamon if high enough. Try not to waste your meter doing this move if it doesn't grab (i.e. it just punches), because in that case it does pitiful damage. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- -EX2; Shadow Warrior Slash- (Bishamon disappears as six samurai ghosts appear consecutively, each slashing downward as they appear) IMO a good weapon and also a great weakness, anyone who sees this coming can hit ANY of the ghosts with a well timed attack (if across the screen they need only throw a projectile). So, I think this is best used as an air counter, and it will still get in its max of 5 hits, even as juggles. It does great damage in this case, and you can hit the opponent with relative safety on their way up or down (not at the peak of their jump, because they'll be able to quickly throw out a jumping attack). COMBOS: ******* Legend: ------- S. = standing C. = crouching J. = jumping -> = indicates chain together XX = indicats Special Move cancelling 1. S.F+Short -> S.F+Forward -> S.F+Roundhouse 2. S.Jab -> S.Short -> S.F+Forward -> S.Fierce 3. J.Roundhouse, S.Short -> S.Forward XX Snap Sword, Divider *BEST COMBO* 4. J.Roundhouse, S.Short -> S.Forward XX Bushido Crush CREDITS: Great thanks to Capcom for yet another kick-ass fighting game. Also thanks to Kenichiro Tanaka (tanaka@maya.com) for a GREAT Night Warriors FAQ to get me started. You can access this FAQ and many others at my homepage: http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Heights/1910 You can also e-mail me at: tigeraid@geocities.com "I said it before and I'll say it again--democracy simply doesn't work!" -Kent Brockman, the Simpsons