------------------------------------------------------- _____ ) ___ (, / | /) (__/_____) , /---| _ (/ / __ ___ _ _____ ) / |_/_)_/ )_ / / (__(_// (_/_)_(_) / (_ (_/ (______) Ash Crimson Character FAQ for The King of Fighters 2003 Version 1.0 by Leonard Noir (leonardnoir@comcast.net) ------------------------------------------------------- ~(Table of Contents)~ ------------------------------------------------------- I. Version History II. Battle System III. Background/Why you should or shouldn't use Ash IV. Move List V. Normal/Command Moves Analysis VI. Special Moves Analysis VII. Desperation Move/Leader Desperation Move Analysis VIII. Combos IX. Credits/Miscellaneous ------------------------------------------------------- I. Version History ------------------------------------------------------- v1.0: First version. Everything added. ------------------------------------------------------- II. Battle system ------------------------------------------------------- This FAQ uses the standard "u, d, l, r, qcf," etc. no- tation, because I personally cannot stand the numerical notation. I believe that one should stick to 3D games. *Joystick movements* u: Up uf: Up-forward f: Forward df: Down-forward d: Down db: Down-backward b: Backward ub: Up-backward qcf: Quarter-circle forward qcb: Quarter-circle backward hcf: Half-circle forward hcb: Half-circle backward (b): Hold backward for about a second (b can be substi- tuted for other directions 360: Rotate stick 360 degrees *Button notations* A: "A" button (light punch) B: "B" button (light kick) C: "C" button (heavy punch) D: "D" button (heavy kick) S: "Start" button (taunt) ABC: Press buttons at once (ABC can be replaced with any two, three, or four buttons) Comma: Push buttons in sequence (for example, "A, B, C" means "push A, then B, and then C.") Plus sign: Push buttons together (for example, f + A means "push the joystick forward and press A at the same time.") -------------------------------------------------------- *Commands* (Commands with 0 super meter cost) f, f: Run forward (continue holding f to keep running) b, b: Hop backwards tap u, uf, or ub: Short Jump hold u, uf, or ub: Jump uf while running: Dash Jump b: Block enemy attack (only when opponent is attacking, blocked special moves and DMs still do slight amounts of damage, called "chip damage"; cannot block low attacks with standing block) db: Crouching block (same as above, but can block low attacks and not overhead attacks) f+C or b+C when close: Throw (move that hits opponent even when they are blocking) f+D or b+D when close: Backward Throw (same as Throw, but positions are reversed, so the opponent will end up behind where you were standing.) f+C, f+D, b+C, b+D when being thrown: Escape Throw (you will break out of the throw and take no damage; you must use the same command that your foe used to throw you) AB: Emergency Evasion (your character rolls or slides forward leaving a shadow trail; you are invulnerable to all but throws during this time) b+AB: Backward Emergency Evasion (same as above, but rolls/slides backwards) AB immediately after hitting the ground: Recovery (you will get up much quicker than normal, however, some moves will not allow you to use Recovery) BC: First Character Tag (your current character will taunt, and will then jump off of the screen and be re- placed by the first available character in the lineup; can only be done when "Change OK" is flashing above super meter CD: Second Character Tag (same as above, but switches to second character) Command Moves and Special Moves unique to each char- acter (Commands with 1 super meter cost) AB or b+AB while blocking: Roll Cancel (you will per- form an Emergency Evasion immediately after blocking to escape attack) CD while blocking: Counter Cancel (knocks away attack- ing opponent after blocking) qcf+BC or qcf+CD: Tag Attack (your character performs an attack, then quickly switches out to the character corresponding with the two buttons you pressed and does a jumping attack; this sets up for the new char- acter to do a combo) Desperation moves unique to each character (commands with 2 super meter cost) Super cancel (certain special moves are cancellable into Desperation moves, doing this consumes two meters) Leader Desperation Moves unique to each character ----------------------------------------------------- *The Leader System* Each team is composed of three characters. One char- acter is chosen to be the Leader of the team; this character is designated by their blue life bar. Lead- ers are stronger than normal, and also have the cap- ability to perform Leader Desperation Moves (LDMs). ------------------------------------------------------- III. Background/Why you should or shouldn't use Ash ------------------------------------------------------- *Background* Name : Ash Crimson Fighting Style : Own style (uses special flames) Birthdate : February 14 Nationality : Unknown (grew up in France) Blood Group : O Height : 178 cm Weight : 59 kg Likes : Nail Art Fav. Food : Sachertorte (sweets) Strong Sports : None (because sports are a bother) Impt Things : His Fingernails Hated Things : Bothersome and uninteresting things *Team Story* Shanghai 7 a.m. The streets are already bustling with activity while the steam and aromas from open-air shops and stands ascend into the sky. It is amply bright outside, but the sun has not completely risen; dark shadows dance on the ground in between the shops of the marketplace. Alone, a behemoth of a man stands out from the throng. "Nuts. That Ash. Calling me here at this time of the morning." Dressed in his usual ultra-casual style, a jacket slipped over his bare torso, anyone passing along the street would recognize him. In Shanghai he is the man called "Shen Woo." Shen means "god" and Woo the Chinese word for "battle." Naturally, this isn't his real name. "Ah, ha, ha, ha. You're here. Shen, long time no see! So, where is a place that will feed us some delicious crabs? You must know, right Shen?" "Ash...who'd eat crab at this ungodly morning hour?!" "Lighten up there, pal. Then how about a little dim sum before Duo Lon gets here?" The young Caucasian with platinum hair gathered up in a katyusha is Ash Crimson. Alabaster skinned with blue eyes. Freckles still remain on his cheeks positioned over the edges of a mouth contorted into an impertinent smirk. You could call him a handsome lad or not, but it is certain that he is enveloped in a strange sort of magnetism that garners glances. His body is slight but sinewy. "Crab, this early in the morning..." Thrusting forward through the crowd, Ash finds Shanghai crabs dumped into a wooden crate, wriggling gloriously in the display window of a shop. "Look, look. They look spunky. Your buying, right?" "Who's buying? Give it a rest. And in the first place, do you even eat crab? Tourists from Europe tend to shy away from our local delicacy, you know?" "I love crab. And after you hear what I got to tell you, I think you'll gladly foot the bill." Ash's mischievous expression is reflected in the window of the shop. "One guy said the clown who ate Shanghai crab for the first time was extremely courageous...or just amazingly intelligent. It's the truth, Ash. So what's your important story?" And then: the reflection of the figure of another tall man appears in the glass of the show window which would be difficult to be called polished. "......" Ash and Shen, without looking back, continue pretending to keep judging the quality of the crabs. Shen clicks his tongue slightly. Although distracted by the conversation, being snuck up on so easily...? "Ah, ha, ha, Duo Lon. It's been awhile. How have you been? How about we talk somewhere out of the way while we fill our bellies?" "This place looks good." Even the fresh air of morning becomes cold and gloomy around this guy. The figure of the tall man, dressed in a costume luxuriously embroidered, appears from the pallid shadows between the buildings. Duo Lon. All but the age of a young man, he is actually a member of the "Flying Brigands," a group of assassins who reside in the back regions of China. He is laconic with a presence that naturally overwhelms people, and bears a sad countenance. "Ta-dah! Can you believe it? This came to me in the mail." What Ash produces is an envelope sealed archaically with wax. THE KING OF FIGHTERS. The world's largest tournament of varying fighting styles. Both Shen and Duo Lon are aware of this. And they both know it is a team event of teams consisting of three fighters each. Annually some sort of crisis accompanies it; in other words, an event with attitude. "I won't pull any punches. I want to join this thing. So, I'm hoping you'll feel the same. How about it? Will you enter with me?" "Sounds like fun. OK, I'm in! I've always wanted to be in KOF, at least once. I'll go anywhere where strong opponents can be found." "That's the ol' pepper, Shen. Happy to hear it. How about you, Duo Lon?" "...Yeah, OK." "Ah, ha, ha, ha. Then it's all decided!" "As a matter of fact, the application of we three has already been made. It would have been a real bummer if either of you had refused to accompany me." "Say what? You already entered us? ...Ah, whatever. I'm pumped up for this!" "...What are you scheming? Huh, Ash?" "Oh, come, come, Duo Lon. It's nothing of any consequence." "And if I had said I wouldn't do it...What would you have done?" "...Hmm. What would I have done?" Grinning like the Cheshire cat, Ash laces the invitation between the fingers of his left hand and plays with it. Supple fingers are they, which look like they have nothing to do with combat. And his nails are adorned with nail art. From the four corners of the invitation interlaced in Ash's fingers burst emerald flames. The entire invitation is swiftly consumed by flames, but the vigor of the flame does not abate and a pillar of flame bursts from Ash's left hand. A spiral of wind breaks out at his feet, blowing up Ash's platinum blond hair, and the flames burn even higher and stronger. He laughs. At the depths of his innocent and capricious giggle an inscrutable something certainly squirms. A few passers-by notice the green pillar of flame but are dumbstruck with astonishment. Ash shakes his left hand dramatically outward. The emerald flames jump from his arm. Drawing a gentle arc that slips between Shen and Duo Lon in an instant, it brushes by the face of a girl passing nearby and then disappears. The draft blows the girl's hair. Promptly thereafter at her side, the thing that was a bee a second before falls to the earth motionless, burnt to a crisp, in a pile of white ash. "That was close, young lady. Ah, ha, ha." "Uh, th-thank...you." "Il n'y a pas de quoi." Ash replies with an exaggeratedly old-fashioned bow. "OK, playtime is over. To make things worse I'm totally whacked from being called out so early in the morning." "I love mornings in the spring. They say, 'The season is spring. The time of day is morning. The time of morning is seven.'" "Who says that?" "Hmph. For someone raised in France, you have strange tastes." Duo Lon breaks out in a rare wry smile. Although he feigns a cool, adult air, his youth is given away when he laughs. Ash continues. "As God makes evident in the sky. All in the world is nothing. Well, that's it. Take it easy. Just take it easy. Ah, ha, ha." ASH CRIMSON DUO LON SHEN WOO Their participation in the tournament had already been confirmed by the KOF Management Organization three days ago. *Why you should or shouldn't use Ash* Ash is a character you're bound to either love or hate. You can either hate his guts, or appreciate him for being such an interesting design. I fall under the latter cate- gory. I find his design to be rather unique and good, but I know that several others are going to find him a stupid design, and accuse him of being gay because of the way he dresses, even though he does not exhibit signs of being gay. So, if you like his character, good; otherwise, oh well. Gameplay-wise, Ash almost screams "Guile/Charlie/Remy rip!" at first glance. Indeed, he has a charge back projectile and a charge down anti-air kick. However, I usually find myself going on an offensive more with Ash than I do Guile or Charlie in their games. Ash has some powerful moves and combos, but is not very versatile. Also, some of his combos are a bit difficult to do successfully. However, with an array of abusable pro- jectiles and the ability to perform one DM right after another in one combo, Ash is truly a force to be reckoned with. Pros: +Strong moves +Projectiles that can go through other projectiles +Very damaging combos Cons: -Difficult learning curve for combos -Not very versatile --------------------------------------------------------- IV. Movelist --------------------------------------------------------- _______________________________________________________ / Command Moves \ |-------------------------------------------------------| | Messidor : f+A | | Floréal : b+B | | Prairial : b+D | |-------------------------------------------------------| | Special Moves | |-------------------------------------------------------| | Ventôse : (b), f+A/C | | Nivôse* : (d), u+B/D | | Vendémiaire* : hcf+A/C | |-------------------------------------------------------| | Desperation Moves | |-------------------------------------------------------| | Pluviôse : qcf, qcf+B/D | | Thermidor : qcf, qcf+A/C | |-------------------------------------------------------| | Leader Desperation Moves | |-------------------------------------------------------| | Sans-Culotte : A, B, C, D | |-------------------------------------------------------| \_______________________________________________________/ *move is Super-Cancellable --------------------------------------------------------- V. Normal/Command Moves Analysis --------------------------------------------------------- Standing A Ash does a quick jab with the arm closest to his foe. Has a bit of a high recovery time for an A attack. Not much else to say. Rating: (***--) Standing B Ash leans back and does a quick side kick with the leg closest to his foe. Not really that much to say about this move. Rating: (**---) Standing C Ash uses his front arm to make a knife-handed stab at the enemy. I use this one quite a bit, as I find it to be a effective poke. Rating: (****-) Standing D Ash does a shuffling sideways kick. Does good damage and higher range than C, but also comes out slower. Rating: (***1/2--) Close A Ash does a quick elbow jab to his foe's chin. Comes out quick, good to cancel into Floréal or possibly Vendémiaire. You can cancel this move into Messidor to hit a crouching opponent without the delay. Rating: (***--) Close B Ash does a somewhat goofy-looking kick with his back leg. Like Close A, cancellable into Floréal, Vendémiaire and Messidor. I tend to prefer this one over Close A for combos. Rating: (***--) Close C Ash does a hook punch with his front arm. Actually comes out slightly faster than Close A, but because it knocks back, its combo-ability is limited to Floréal. One of Ash's better command moves. Rating: (****-) Close D Ash knees his opponent in the gut. Comes out slightly slower than his other close attacks, and is comboable into Floréal. Rating: (***--) Crouching A Ash does a very quick jab. Though it is very quick and has very little recovery time, it lacks the combo- ability of crouching B. Rating: (**---) Crouching B Ash slides his foot outward to do a kick to his enemy's feet. This move is stupidly easy to cancel into Nivôse, and comes out very quickly. One of Ash's integral moves. I can't see why you wouldn't use this one. Rating: (*****) Crouching C Ash performs an uppercut. Try not to overuse this one, as it's a little slow. You can actually combo this move into the A version of Ventôse, but I never use it. Rating: (***--) Crouching D Ash leans back on his hand and does a sweep with his back leg. It's quite fast for a sweep, although the range leaves a little to be desired. Use this one for punishment. Rating: (****-) Jumping A Ash extends his arm downward. Lame. Rating: (*----) Jumping B Ash kicks upward in the air. Good for other opponents in the air, but otherwise also lame. Rating: (**---) Jumping C Ash swings horizontally. VERY quick, much more useful than jumping A. Rating: (****-) Jumping D Ash swings his foot downward for a kick. Good for jump- in combos. Rating: (****-) Messidor (f+A) Ash delays for a substantial amount of time, then does a downward punch while saying something. Is an overhead attack. VERY stupid to use by itself because of the almost sickening startup time. Comboing into it, though, removes the delay. Rating: (**---) Floréal (b+B) Ash spins forward while delivering a kick. This can be comboed from any of Ash's close moves, and can be cancel- ed into Pluviôse with the correct timing. If you have trouble cancelling it, make sure to wait until the animation is finished, then *immediately* perform Pluviôse. Rating: (****-) Prairial (b+D) Ash spins backward with a kick. Basically the opposite of Floréal, this move has no real combo-ablity. But it can be used as an effective way to retreat quickly while charging a Ventôse. Rating: (**---) --------------------------------------------------------- VI. Special Moves Analysis --------------------------------------------------------- Ventôse ((b), f+A) Ash swings his back arm in front of him, and throws a crescent of green flame towards the opponent. If you do not like the weird name, you can just call this a "Green Sonic Boom," because that's what this move basically is. It travels slowly, so with practice you can use this to set up combos if the opponent blocks it high. Rating: ***--) Ventôse ((b), f+C) The C version of Ventôse is so much different that I con- sider it a different move. It's basically like Geese and Rock Howard's Double Reppuken: Ash performs Ventôse, then charges it with another one, forming an "X" shape. If the opponent is close, the startup of this move will actually hit the opponent for a two-hit combo. This version of it also moves MUCH faster, so it is more useful for long- range pressure. One of my favorite properties of this move, however, is its ability to pass through one-hit project- iles. If a move such as Iori's Yamibarai or Athena's Psycho Ball touch a C Ventôse, one of the crescents will dissipate, but the other will go on to hit the opponent! This can be a very irritating move against those who like spamming fireballs. Rating: (****-) Nivôse ((d), u+B/D) Ash performs a flip while kicking upwards and throwing green flames from his feet. Again, if you don't like the name, "Green Flash Kick" works. Or better yet, try "Shadow Cut Kick", a move used by Kyosuke Kagami in Rival Schools and Capcom vs. SNK 2. Not only do they *look* similar, but Ash's D Nivôse quote is the *exact* same as Kyosuke's Shadow Cut Kick ("Osoi!" meaning "Too slow!"). Anyway, this is Ash's definitive anti-air, and it works nicely. It also has good combo potential--it can easily be comboed into from crouching B, and with fast enough movements, can be Super-Cancelled into Pluviôse. The B version is quicker but does not go as high as the D version. The quotes for B and D versions are different as well. Rating: (*****) Vendémiaire (hcf+A/C) You must be in throw range to do this move, though I don't actually consider it a throw. Ash does his close A, close D, and crouching C in rapid succession. The last hit launches the opponent straight upwards, so much so that it just *screams* "follow this up with Nivôse, dammit!" You could follow this up with Pluviôse, but it won't hit each time, so I consider it a waste of meter. You can also Super-Cancel this move, but I have been unsuccessful in all of my attempts to produce a combo that is worth the 2-meter cost of SCing out of this move. Your best bet is to stick with a Nivôse followup. Use the Vendémiaire to catch opponents off- guard. Rating: (***1/2--) ------------------------------------------------------- VII. Desperation Move/Leader Desp. Move Analysis ------------------------------------------------------- Pluviôse (qcf, qcf+B/D) Ash says something that sounds cool, then performs 3 Nivôses in succession, the last one knocking the foe away. This is Ash's main move, and the one you'll be comboing into every time, since you can't really combo *into* Thermidore. (You can damn sure *start* things from it, though.) Try to combo into this move from Floréal. The timing is awkward, but you'll need to learn it. Also, this can be Super-Cancelled from Nivôse, but make sure you do so in a larger combo so as to not waste meter. Rating: (****-) Thermidore (qcf, qcf+A/C) Ash spins his arms in front of him and then holds his hands in a ball shape. He then forms a sphere of green flame and sends it flying towards his opponent while yelling something. This move looks and acts quite like Kain's Hitmmlisch Hecht from Garou: Mark of the Wolves or Venom's Dark Angel from Guilty Gear XX. It is a slow-moving, multi-hit projectile that keeps moving across the screen until it is off of the screen or it hits 11 times. If I'm not mistaken, there is not a projectile in the game that can break through this one. The beauty of this move is the combo possiblities it has. You see, when this move hits, it hits multiple times as it passes through the foe, and the opponent will stay in place, whether it is blocked or unblocked, for about a second. This gives you time to run up to your opponent while they are being hit with the Thermidor and have your way with them. If they didn't block, follow this up with Pluviôse for a *very* nasty combo, or crouching B, crouching B, Nivôse if you don't have any meter. If they block high, hit with crouching B, and if they block low, hit with Messidor. If you do this quickly enough, the Thermidore will still damage them. Watch out if they Roll Cancel from this move, however. This could put you in a nasty situation. Rating: (****1/2-) Sans-Culotte (A, B, C, D) (Leader only) Ash stands straight up, says something, then closes his eyes. An explosion of green flames and wind en- circles him, blowing his hair upward (as in the KoF2k3 intro). The explosion can damage the opponent if you are close enough. After Ash performs this move, he will begin flashing gold for about eight seconds. During this time, the need to charge Ash's Ventôse and Nivôse is eliminated, meaning all you have to do is tap back then forward and a punch for a Ventôse, and tap down then up and a kick for a Nivôse. Can we say "C Ventôse spam?" Of course, there are a lot more effective uses for this move. I'm still experimenting with the possiblilities of this move. Unless you have practice with it, I would not recommend using this move, and making someone like Iori leader. (His LDM is F'ing GODLY...) Rating: (Not rated yet) ------------------------------------------------------- VII. Combos ------------------------------------------------------- *combos requiring no super meter* Close A (or Close B), Messidor Close A (or Close B), Vendimiaire, Nivôse Crouching C, Ventôse (A version) Jumping D, Crouching B, Crouching B, Nivôse *combos requiring one super meter* Close A (or Close B, C, or D), Floréal, Pluviôse Crouching B, Crouching B, Floréal, Pluviôse Thermidore, (run up to enemy and perform a combo) *combos requiring two super meters* Crouching B, Crouching B, Nivôse, Pluviôse Thermidore, (run up to enemy) Pluviôse ------------------------------------------------------- IX. Credits/Miscellaneous ------------------------------------------------------- *Suggestions* If you have any suggestions for this FAQ, feel free to e-mail them to me at (leonardnoir@comcast.net). But make sure to put something such as "Ash Crimson FAQ" in the subject line, or else I probably won't notice it. Some things I'm looking for: +More Combos +Voice translations (I hate having to say "Ash says something") *Thanks* SNK/Playmore, for making the KoF series. Also for the story, which came from their official KoF2003 site. http://www.kofonline.com/, for the move names. Jeff Veasey and GameFAQs for hosting my FAQ. *Copyright* According to the law, you cannot post my FAQ on your site without my permission. Only one site, GameFAQs.com, currently has this permission. If you want permission, e-mail me about it. -------------------------------------------------------- (End of FAQ) March 8, 2004