=============================================================================== Naruto: Narutimate Hero 3 Hyuuga Neji Character FAQ =============================================================================== Written by Hikauri, for the Playstation 2 Entertainment System Game Release Date: December 22, 2005 FAQ Start Date: January 13, 2006 <-------------------> Table of Contents <-------------------> I. Introduction a. Opening b. Copyrights c. Revision History d. Basic Neji Info e. Legend / Controls II. In-depth with Neji a. Move Set i. Regular ii. Jutsus iii. Ougis b. Strategies i. Strengths / Weaknesses ii. Combos iii. Miscellaneous III. Closing a. Ending Remarks b. Credits c. The End =============================================================================== I. INTRODUCTION =============================================================================== (------------------------) a. Opening (------------------------) Welcome to my FAQ for Hyuuga Neji, one of the featured characters in Narutimate Hero 3. This FAQ is pretty much complete, but I do want to add or change anything that may have slipped my mind. If you have ANYTHING to contribute, please email me at: "ocarinalink@lycos.com". Please do not abuse this email add; this is in pursuit of a definitive FAQ for at least part of a great game that lacks any info for us English-speaking people. ;) (------------------------) b. Copyrights (------------------------) This FAQ is the original work of Jan Ignacio. Any reproduction, reuse, or reposting without my or the owners of this FAQ's expressed consent is strictly prohibited. Please email me at ocarinalink@lycos.com for such purposes. If you have been given authorization to use this FAQ by the owner without my consent, you must not alter it in any shape or form, and must express full credit to me. Thank you. (------------------------) c. Revision History (------------------------) 0.2 - Outlined FAQ. Written Opening and Copyrights portion. Completed Legend / Controls section. 0.5 - Corrected typographical and format errors. Added (Up + O) Start-up move to move list. Added some advanced combos. Added Ougis and jutsus. Added names to combos and jutsus. Revised some of the advanced strategies. (------------------------) d. Basic Neji Info (------------------------) Neji is distinguished in the Naruto world as part of the Hyuuga clan, which is renown for its Advanced Bloodline Limit, Byakugan (literally White Eyes). His fighting style, which is the most pertinent to this FAQ, is excerpted from NarutoHQ.com: Utilizing Byakugan to its full potential, Neji is able to sense his surroundings in a 359-degree arc. This enables him to stop most, if not all, incoming attacks from all directions though a variety of attacks, most notably using Hakkeshou Kaiten, his "ultimate defense"; using a solid burst of chakra expelled from the entire body, Neji spins around and creates a dome of chakra around him that is strong enough to stop and repel any attack. As for offense, Neji combines his Byakugan with his training as a Hyuuga in Jyuuken (the Chinese martial art of Gentle Fist) to attack with his Hakke (Eight Trigrams) techniques. His most well known technique is his Hakke Rokujuyon Sho (Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms), in which he closes 64 of the 361 tenketsu (chakra points) of his opponent through blindingly fast and pinpoint accurate Jyuuken strikes. This leaves the opponent with a totally disrupted chakra flow, giving the opponent problems in standing up and making it impossible to concentrate chakra into executing jutsus, rendering all of the opponent's jutsus useless! Neji has also been seen doing an advanced version of Hakke Rokujuyon Sho (namely Hakke Hyaku Nijuhachi Sho, "Eight Trigrams One Hundred Twenty-Eight Palms), in which he hits each of the 64 tenketsu twice! Info was taken from the Taijutsu guide at NarutoHQ.com. Special thanks goes to Gav Thetford, for pointing out the incorrect info in my previous description. More info can be found by watching the anime or reading the manga! (-----------------------) e. Legend / Controls (-----------------------) O - Circle - Basic attack button Triangle - Activates Ougi attack; hit opponent with O right after to attack with a "trigger" attack; if it connects, the game goes into an Ougi mini-game. What Ougi and trigger attack are used depends on the Ougi the character was set to at the Jutsu / Ougi select screen (top option after choosing at the character select screen) X - Jump; press again to double-jump; double-tap to dash towards opponent [] - Square - throw projectile (i.e. shuriken, kunai, explosive tag) L1/R1 - switch projectiles / items in inventory L2/R2 - Block; press right when an opposing attack hits to perform a Kawarimi. D-pad / Left Analog stick - movement; press down to recharge Chakra, up to taunt left/right to run left/right; Terms: Kawarimi - art of substitution. When performed, the character disappears from the opponent's attack, and reappears behind the opponent, ready to counter- attack. A necessity to master if you are to become proficient at Neji. Chakra - the energy borne from mixing the physical with the spiritual energies in the body. This is represented by the blue bar below the character's life bar. Chakra fuels your jutsu attacks, Kawarimis, and Ougis (when the trigger attack connects), so it must be watched as carefully as your life. Press Down to recharge/mold your Chakra, or absorb Chakra items as you break open containers while in battle. Ougi - Term given to attacks made through the Triangle button. When an Ougi attack is activated and you connect with the trigger attack (press O) right after, a mini-game is played; if the attacker wins, damage is usually done; also, the character may gain special attributes, ranging from enhanced strength, to a full-on transformation (i.e. Naruto to Kyuubi). If the defender barely wins, damage is reduced (?); if the defender wins by a substantial amount, the Ougi is disrupted, and the defender receives no damage, whatsoever. The amount of Chakra spent depends on the level of the Ougi used. Level one - One third of the Chakra bar is depleted Level two - Two thirds of the Chakra bar is depleted Level three - The whole Chakra bar is depleted Trigger attack does not connect - No Chakra is depleted; you can't activate the Ougi again for a short time. Jutsu - Japanese for "technique", this term describes the signature moves each character carries. Each character can perform two in battle: (Up, Up, O)(the Up-Jutsu) or (Down, Down, O)(the Down-Jutsu). The Jutsu performed depends on the character; for example, performing the Down-Jutsu with Naruto will have him attack with Rasengan, while the Down-Jutsu with Sasuke will have him attack with Chidori. Each character has different jutsus with varying effects. Also, each time a jutsu is performed, whether it connects or not, drains a set amount of charka, depending on what jutsu it is. Ui Ochi - Kawarimi sequence - RIGHT AFTER sending an opponent flying, via throw or combo, press O while moving in the direction the opponent is flying, and you will go into this mini-game: an animation of you hitting your opponent from behind begins. If your opponent presses O before you hit him, he/she reverses the sequence; now YOU are in danger. Press O before he hits you, and youreverse the sequence back at him/her; and so on and so forth. The first to lose the sequence takes damage. Dash - double tapping the Jump button (by default X) while moving in a direction will cause your character to dash. If you manage to dash into your opponent, you'll stun him/her for a second, leaving him/her vulnerable to an aerial combo/attack. Most projectiles, like kunai or needles, are also deflected while you're dashing, making it a good idea to dash if you want to get to your opponent quickly. Be careful, though; you are still vulnerable to Ougi trigger attacks and certain projectiles (like tags), so don't depend on the dash too much. Guard Breaker - A move that can break an opponent's guard; the move deals damage and will leave the opponent stunned and open to attack. Great for turtlers, charka-less opponents, and surprising them after being lulled into guarding instead of kawarimi-ing; however, these moves are usually slower than most moves. =============================================================================== II. IN-DEPTH WITH NEJI =============================================================================== (-----------------------) Move Set (-----------------------) Regular: --------------- (thanks to jygting for the combo names; they're all in his Move List FAQ) (O) - Single strike (O,O) - Flurry of strikes Each regular combo can end with one of five possible moves (aka "enders") The name of the resulting combo will also be given: (tap O repeatedly) - Mugen Keitotsu - Neji unleashes a barrage of strikes, ala E. Honda-style (Forward + O, O, O) - Hakei Sanrengeki - Chakra-powered strikes (Down + O, O) - Sousou Shuurengeki - Low strikes (Guard Breaker) (Back + O) - Byakkikaihou - Neji jumps at the opponent with a sphere of Chakra-surrounding him. VERY SLOW, but powerful. (Up + O, O) - Soukuu Shoukakyaku - Neji punches the opponent into the air, and ends with an aerial kick. There are three additional starter moves, only one of which you can chain towards a combo. NOTE: these are START-OFF moves, NOT combo finishers. (Forward + O) - Shunkeirentotsu - Throws two strikes at the opponent. Neji can combo off of this. (Down + O, O) - Senrakukyaku - Low strikes (Guard Breaker); I think these are even slower than the low strikes described above. (Up + O, O) - Shoutenhougeki - Neji kicks the opponent up into the air, and finishes with a powerful upward fist. (Back + O) - Keiregeki - Throw (of course); Neji grabs the opponent and sends him/her flying the other way with a chakra strike. Treat it like a non-comboable, one-move Guard Breaker, and you might want to follow up with a Ui Ochi. Aerial attacks: (Forward + O,O) - Tenshou Ranbu - Aerial strikes (Down + O,O) - Tenken Ranbu - Neji strikes the opponent down, sending him toward the ground. He finishes with a flying kick towards the ground. (Up + O,O) - Tenshuu Ranbu - Neji strikes the opponent skyward. (Back + O) - Shouhaisoukyaku - Aerial throw. Jutsus: --------------- These can be changed at the Character Select screen; choose the top option when you select Neji, and the top option again to see a list of jutsus he can use. Unfortunately, Neji doesn't have any other jutsus of his own, other than the default ones (unlike Sasuke or Naruto), so the rest of his jutsus are made up of jutsus from other characters. Default Jutsus: (Up, Up, O) - Hakkeshou Ranbu (thanks to jygting for the name) - Neji goes into Jyuuken mode, giving the opponent 15(?) strikes before ending with a powerful strike. The damage is in the medium range. (Down, Down, O) - Kaiten - Neji's signature move, it has less risk than Hakkeshou Ranbu, it's a great defensive move, and is great at breaking up your opponent's flow. However, disruption is it's only real purpose, since its damage is pretty light; it also uses slightly more chakra than Hakkeshou Ranbu. Here's a list of his customizable jutsus. You can gain them from leveling up and playing around in RPG mode. Again, thanks to jygting for providing the names and the list of these jutsus. This is taken directly from his Move List FAQ. Since this FAQ deals with Neji on his default configuration, I will only list the names here and leave it up to you to decide if you want to use these jutsus or not(i.e. Suiton: Suiryuudan no Jutsu would totally eliminate Neji's close-range-only problem). Bakumetsu Houjin Bakushikieisen Chidori Chou Kaifukuyaku Doton: Doryuudango Doton: Doryuuheki Dynamic Entry Genjutsu: Kasumi Hien Kuusen Kagura Shuriken Nehanshousha no Jutsu Ninpou Dokukiri Suiton: Suijinheki Suiton: Suiryuudan no Jutsu Tsuika Tsuutenkyaku If you want an English version of the above list, and from who you learn these Jutsus from in RPG mode, take a look at IAznDragonI Yan's Jutsu FAQ. Ougis: --------------- You can also change which Ougi Neji carries into battle from the Character select screen (top option after character choice, then bottom option). The top option in the Ougi screen allows you to change the method of mini-game when you're doing an Ougi (i.e. button mashing instead of button sequences). The bottom option allows you to change the Ougi itself. Initial Ougis: Zesshou: Hachimonhougeki (Level 3)(default Ougi) - Neji goes into Byakugan mode and connects with a barrage of extremely powerful Chakra-powered strikes at the opponent, ending with a heart-stopping, shockwave- inducing strike to the heart. - Neji gains Byakugan mode - Thanks to jygting for providing the name for this one. Kaiten (Level 1) - Neji performs his Kaiten, right as the opponent is rushing him. Here's a list of the other Ougis Neji can learn from RPG mode. Thanks to Janna and her Ougi FAQ for these. These are taken directly from that FAQ. I haven't learned any of these yet, so I trust Janna left this list accurate and correct. Hyuuga Ryuu Taijutsu - combo counter. (Activates Byakugan) Tenketsu Shouda - heart pound chakra thing (Activates Byakugan) Hakke Rokujyuuyonshou - 64 hit combo (Activates Byakugan) Hakke Sanbyakurokujyuuisshisa - 361 hit combo Kaiten 2 Hyuuga Ryuu Taijutsu 2 (Activates Byakugan) Tenketsu Shouda 2 (Activates Byakugan) Hakke Rokujyuuyonshou 2 (Activates Byakugan) Zessho Hachimon Hougeki 2 (Activates Byakugan) Hakke Sanbyakurokujyuuisshisa 2 (-----------------------) Strategies (-----------------------) Strengths / Weaknesses ---------------------- Strengths: - Neji is one of the faster fighters in the game. His combos come out quick and effortlessly, and are very easy to chain Ougi's and Jutsus off of them. - His Chakra regeneration rate is also faster than most characters; this means you are at a bit of an advantage when both you and your opponent are running low on Chakra (as what happens many times when Jutsus are flying around in some battles). - His Kaiten Jutsu is AWESOME. Kaiten enables Neji to blow back anyone who gets too close for comfort, and is usually successful, since the opponent is usually attacking you when the Kaiten comes out (essentially running into Neji's Kaiten). It's a great surprise attack, and is relatively fast to execute and recover from, making it easy to pull off in the midst of battle, while being able to defend yourself from counter-attack. Kaiten can also deflect ANY projectile attack; however, there are better ways of avoiding the more advanced projectiles without wasting a justu-amount of chakra. The damage is moderate, but its other uses more than makes up for this. - Byakugan mode: If you can manage to pull off an Ougi that activates his Byakugan (i.e. his default lvl.3 Ougi), you will have temporary Byakugan powers. Neji gains strength, speed, and (most importantly of all) the ability to drain your opponent's chakra through strikes, EVEN if they are blocked. With just a couple of complete combos, as long as they connect, Neji will reduce the opponent to NO CHAKRA. Weaknesses: - Neji's regular attacks, while fast, are some of the weakest in the game. This is the one major weakness for Neji; if he is not keeping up a steady stream of attacks, he will not inflict as much damage as most characters do with less effort. The speed and number of consecutive strikes make up for this, but don't expect tons of damage each time Neji hits the opponent; Neji will need to make consecutive combos if he hopes to do any real damage to an opponent. - He has no special taunt, unlike some characters. (i.e. Naruto gains Attack-Up when he taunts) - His defense is also weaker than most characters, although not to the degree as his attack power is compared to other characters. - After achieving Byakugan mode, you'll be left with NO CHAKRA. This can mean proverbial suicide if Byakugan wears off, and Neji is still left with no chakra. - Neji, just like in the anime, specializes in close-quarters combat; he needs to be next to the opponent in order to attack. Unlike other characters (i.e. Zabuza and his Suiton jutsu), he has no long-range attacks, save his projectile attacks. This poses a problem for Neji, especially with characters like Naruto, whose Kage Bunshin attacks are great at keeping others away. In short, be very aggressive when you are Neji. DO NOT LET UP, otherwise the opponent has the opportunity to get into a rhythm, where the opponent can take advantage of Neji's low defense and low attack power. If this happens, a good Kaiten is a great way to disrupt your opponent's flow and rhythm (plus, give you a chance to regain chakra and breathe a little). If you get to Byakugan mode, THROW DEFENSE OUT THE WINDOW AND ATTACK! If you let up even for one second, the opponent can start laying attacks on you and drive you to a wall; and, since you have no chakra, you can't escape and renew your attack drive, and your Byakugan time is wasting away. Do not give your opponent that chance; keep up a steady stream of strikes (the barrage of strikes-combo is great for this), no matter if your opponent blocks them or not. At the very least, you want to drain your opponent's chakra as fast as possible, so that he/she will not be able to kawarimi away from your attacks. For more strategy, visit the Misc. section. Advanced Combos ------------------------- Ougi-ending combo: Connect with a combo that ends with a guard breaker. While Neji is performing the guard breaker, activate his Ougi trigger attack (the Ougi aura). Your opponent will bounce off the ground, and as the opponent is falling down to the ground, hit him/her with the Ougi trigger attack. (Note: most Ougi trigger attacks have a delay before execution; you may want to start right after Neji finishes his regular combo in order to get the timing right) Jutsu-ending combo: Same as the Ougi-ending combo, without having to activate the trigger attack, and executing the jutsu instead of an Ougi at the end. You can use almost any jutsu that is combo-able, such as Kaiten or Neji's default Up-Jutsu. Obviously, choose the one that does more damage. Ground Infinite: (O,O,O,[])(repeat) - A true infinite ONLY for opponents with no chakra. The shuriken at the end acts as a cancel, and as long as you can go straight into another infinite, your opponent will have no chance whatsoever of escaping damage. Back chakra-less opponent against a wall (not necessary, but recommended), start using this infinite, and watch his life slowly, but surely, go down to zero. If your opponent blocks, use one of the above combos. Cheap tactic, but, hey, whatever nets you a win, right? ;) (Thanks to Shishi-Rendan.com, esp. Rave, for this combo) If you have any combos you'd like to add to this list, please email me at the above email address. I'll be sure to give credit to you when I post it. Miscellaneous --------------------- - Neji's Kaiten jutsu is great at winning kawarimi/attack contests (exchanging attacks and kawarimis, until someone "wins", via an Ougi, jutsu, or finishing a combo). As soon as you see the opponent kawarimi-ing, perform the Kaiten; more often than not, your opponent will run into (if not appear right on top of) Neji's Kaiten. - Neji's style requires you to keep the pressure on the opponent, and force him/her to always be on the defense. Keep this in mind when you pick Neji. - Don't waste chakra on Jutsus unless you're sure it will hit, such as the above strategy with Kaiten. Even though Neji has a great chakra regeneration rate, it won't help you when you need to perform a Kaiten after a kawarimi, only to find you don't have enough chakra; you'll end up on the receiving end of a full combo instead. - Change up your combo finishers; you'll tend to catch your opponent's timing off. - If you choose to carry a Level 3 Ougi, start throwing Ougi trigger attacks whenever you see a full Chakra bar and there's any chance of you connecting. Even if the attack gets blocked or misses, it wastes no chakra, most opponents are not dumb enough to try to attack you mid-Trigger attack (and if they are, all the better for you), and you can try other tactics while you wait to use your trigger attack again. The only time that you don't want to do this is when you're facing a long-range opponent (i.e. Temari), and you're not even in range to connect with your Ougi attack. - When attacking in Byakugan mode, keep up a furious stream of attacks, but watch out when your opponent start blocking, and they still have a substantial amount of chakra left; they're looking to kawarimi from your attacks, and take advantage of the fact that you have no chakra to back you into a wall. There are two ways around this: 1) Hit them enough times to drain their chakra fast enough so that they can't kawarimi in the first place. (Preferred) 2) Somehow recover enough chakra, via chakra items, to escape, such as kawarimi-ing or (if you're really lucky) land a Kaiten as your opponent kawarimis (much more riskier). 3) If you're feeling even more courageous, here's an alternate strategy, which may work a little better: Once you see your opponent kawarimi, throw shuriken at them if you have no chakra left. The shuriken will most likely cancel the combo you're in, stun the opponent for a quick second, and give you a chance to follow up, all at once! This is all theory, but it should work; I haven't personally tried it yet, but if it works, please let me know. If they kawarimi right behind you when you have no chakra at all and are caught by surprise, GET AWAY! Constant offense is good, but not to the point of walking straight into an attack. As soon as you're out of attack range, resume your offense; otherwise, once they connect with an attack and start to combo, you're essentially helpless until they finish their combo (I would recommend going crazy over the buttons to get away if that happens, but I've never seen it be successful; that's why they call it a button lock). =============================================================================== III. CLOSING =============================================================================== Closing Remarks ---------------------- If you really don't use Neji much, I hope this FAQ helped convince you to use him more. If you do use Neji, I hope this FAQ helped you find out more about Neji's abilities and capabilities. A big thanks to the GameFAQs boards; a lot of info can be found there, if you look hard enough. Credits ---------------------- GameFAQs boards, and the people who post there; a lot of info found here was posted there. Decal, for his work on the GameFAQs boards, and his help to the less- knowledgeable ;) Rockman and Shishi Rendan, for showing me that more advanced techniques exist out there, most notably the Ougi/Jutsu combos. Janna Limain, for Neji's section of her Ougi FAQ. Jygting, for Neji's Move list from his FAQ. IAznDragonI Yan, for writing his Jutsu FAQ. The End Got anything to say? Give me a shout. ocarinalink@lycos.com AIM: ocarinalnk