+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| version 1.00                                                  March 2, 2007 |
|                    BLEACH DS 2ND: KOKUI HIRAMEKU REQUIEM                    |
|                       YORUICHI SHIHOIN CHARACTER FAQ                        |
| by Sixfortyfive                         patrick *AT* sixfortyfive *DOT* com |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
This guide is meant to serve as a primer for playing as Yoruichi in Bleach DS
2nd. It assumes that you know the basic gameplay system and understand the
function of things like normal attacks, throws, specials, supers, simple chain
combos, flash stepping, guard canceling, and damage canceling. If you do not, I
suggest you give the "How To Play" section of my general Bleach DS 2nd FAQ a
thorough read before continuing.
Any fighting advice that I provide in this FAQ assumes a 1-versus-1 match
against a normal-size opponent and without reifu/reiju involved. Yoruichi is
decent in 4-player matches, but her lack of ranged attacks can be a significant
drawback in such fights. In a 1-on-1 fight, I don't think there's any character
in the game with whom she can't stand on at least near equal footing.
Yoruichi's play style hasn't changed much from the original Bleach DS, but
there are a few key things of which returning players should take note. Her old
special D (free flash step) is gone, replaced by a beefed-up version of her old
stun throw. Her standard throw now launches the opponent (similar to Soifon's).
Her normal attacks have less recoil, which allow for (among other things)
longer combos with her super B. Her super A is a little more efficient damage-
wise and now hits both high and low at the same time (also like Soifon).
Overall I can't say if she's improved much or not but I certainly don't think
she's any worse off in Bleach DS 2nd than she was in the original. If you were
accustomed to using her old free flash step like me, though, you'll probably
have to get used to conserving reiryoku more often now.
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| COMMAND LIST                                                                |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
+----------------+
| NORMAL ATTACKS |
+----------------+
Yoruichi does not carry a weapon, so all of her normal attacks consist of
punches and kicks with considerably short range. Like most of the faster
characters, she can chain multiple light attacks together consecutively.
- STANDING LIGHT (sL) -
Yoruichi punches the enemy with 1 hit for 4 damage, slightly moving him
backwards.
- STANDING MEDIUM (sM) -
Yoruichi punches the enemy with 1 hit for 6 damage, slightly moving him
backwards. This also moves Yoruichi slightly forward.
- STANDING HEAVY (sH) -
Yoruichi kicks the enemy with 1 hit for 8 damage, which launches him and allows
for an aerial combo.
- CROUCHING LIGHT (cL) -
Yoruichi kicks the enemy with 1 hit for 4 damage, slightly moving him
backwards.
- CROUCHING MEDIUM (cM) -
Yoruichi punches the enemy with 1 hit for 6 damage, slightly moving him
backwards.
- CROUCHING HEAVY (cH) -
Yoruichi performs a sliding kick that delivers 1 hit for 8 damage, moving the
opponent backward and her forward.
- AERIAL LIGHT (aL) -
Yoruichi hits the enemy with her knee with 1 hit for 4 damage, slightly moving
him upward.
- AERIAL MEDIUM (aM) -
Yoruichi kicks the enemy with 1 hit for 6 damage, slightly moving him upwards.
- AERIAL HEAVY (aH) -
Yoruichi kicks the enemy with 1 hit for 8 damage, slightly moving him upwards.
- STANDING THROW (sT) *NEW* -
Yoruichi grabs the enemy and then kicks him upward with 2 hits for 6 damage.
This can be followed by an aerial combo.
- AERIAL THROW (aT) *NEW* -
Yoruichi grabs the enemy and then kicks him diagonally to the ground with 2
hits for 6 damage.
+-----------------+
| SPECIAL ATTACKS |
+-----------------+
Specials are identified in blue on the touch screen and in the game's command
list. They typically have three variations: light, medium, and heavy. The heavy
version is usually a reinforced (RF) technique. RF techniques consume 1/3 of
your outer reiryoku gauge and are typically faster and/or stronger than weaker
variations of the same move. In Bleach DS 2nd, RF techniques have the added
property of being able to hit enemies even as they are flash stepping.
- SPECIAL A: ANKEN (S-A, RF-A) -
COMMAND:    down forward attack
POSITION:   standing, aerial
VARIATIONS: light, medium, RF
HITS:       3 (light), 5 (medium), 7 (RF)
DAMAGE:     5 (light), 9 (medium), 13 (RF)
Yoruichi shoots a handful of floating knives that individually lock onto the
nearest opponent. If Yoruichi takes damage at any point during this technique,
the knives will simply vanish. The light version has a short setup time, long
recovery time, and shoots 3 knives. The medium version has a long setup time,
short recovery time, and shoots 5 knives. The RF version has a short setup
time, short recovery time, and shoots 7 knives. The knives cannot travel across
the entire length of the screen. You must perform it in the center of the arena
and in mid-air to ensure that each of the knives can reach all 4 corners of the
screen.
The setup and recovery time for the non-RF versions of this technique have
increased drastically since Bleach DS 1. Also, if performed in mid-air, it will
cause Yoruichi to immediately drop to the ground. This makes the technique
significantly less useful in Bleach DS 2nd. It is recommended that you only use
this technique when the opponent is incapacitated long enough for you to
recover from the setup/recovery time.
- SPECIAL B: KOKUBYOUENBU (S-B, RF-B) -
COMMAND:    back down forward attack
POSITION:   standing
VARIATIONS: light, medium, RF
HITS:       8
DAMAGE:     7
Yoruichi will quickly dash toward the enemy. If she reaches the enemy, she'll
perform a short standing combo. If she does not reach the enemy, she'll simply
slide to a halt, which briefly leaves her open to attack. The light version has
a short setup time, long recovery time, and covers about half the distance
across the screen. The medium version has a long setup time, short recovery
time, and covers about 3/4 the distance across the screen. The RF version has a
short setup time, short recovery time, almost covers the entire length of the
screen, and launches the opponent into the air.
This technique is useful in that it can be cancelled into any of her three
super attacks. Try to follow this one with either a super or aerial combo
whenever possible. The RF version launches the opponent diagonally upward,
which makes it difficult to follow with an aerial combo if you are not in the
corner. In that case, you would have to jump and follow the opponent with an
aerial medium in order to keep an aerial combo going. This move is arguably
more useful than it was in the first game because your opponent can no longer
flash step through the RF version of this attack, making it much easier to
catch some people off-guard.
- SPECIAL C: ORUKA MONO! (S-C, RF-C) -
COMMAND:    down up attack
POSITION:   standing, aerial
VARIATIONS: light, medium, RF
HITS:       2 (light), 5 (medium), 11 (RF)
DAMAGE:     7 (light), 10 (medium), 15 (RF)
Yoruichi performs a series of aerial kicks that carry both her and her opponent
upward. Her opponent will always drop to the ground afterwards, invulnerable
until he recovers. The light version has a short setup time and long recovery
time. The medium version has a long setup time and short recovery time. The RF
version has a short setup time and short recovery time.
Use the light or RF version of this technique to tack on extra damage at the
very end of each aerial combo. If you can put enough distance between you and
the enemy after using it, it's often a good idea to set up her special A after
using this technique.
- SPECIAL D: OWARIJA! (S-D, RF-D) *NEW* -
COMMAND:    forward down forward attack
POSITION:   standing
VARIATIONS: light/medium, RF
HITS:       2
DAMAGE:     1
This technique is a throw, and it functions almost identically to her old throw
from the original Bleach DS. There seems to be no difference in behavior
depending on what version is used, but the RF version can hit opponents in the
middle of a flash step. Also, since this is a special attack as opposed to a
regular throw, you can use it when guard canceling.
+---------------+
| SUPER ATTACKS |
+---------------+
Supers are identified in red on the touch screen and in the game's command
list. Every super in the game costs either 1 or 3 reiatsu stock to perform.
Some characters have supers that vary in behavior depending on what attack
button is used to perform them. Yoruichi does not.
- SUPER A: BAKAMONOGA! (SU-A) -
COMMAND:    down forward down forward attack
POSITION:   standing
VARIATIONS: none
COST:       1 stock
HITS:       27
DAMAGE:     34
This super functions much in the same manner as Yoruichi's RF special B, only
with several more hits. Super B has much greater damage potential but can be
damage cancelled, so use this super when your opponent has enough reiatsu to
perform a damage cancel. As with special B, follow this technique with an
aerial combo whenever possible. Perform it in the corner so that the opponent
isn't launched too far away from you. Otherwise, jump towards him and
immediately follow with an aerial medium.
This move has much fewer hits than it did in Bleach DS 1 (40 -> 27) and does a
little more damage (32 -> 34). While this isn't a huge difference, it helps in
that any attacks used as a follow-up combo are not affected by damage scaling
quite as much. Also, the version in Bleach DS 2nd hits the opponent both high
and low and can only be fully blocked if the opponent is crouching. This puts
it on-par with Soifon's similar super attack.
- SUPER B: MADAMADAA! (SU-B) -
COMMAND:    down back down forward attack
POSITION:   standing
VARIATIONS: none
COST:       1 stock
HITS:       x2 multiplier for normals
DAMAGE:     x2 multiplier for normals
This technique causes every one of Yoruichi's normal attacks (including her
regular standing throw, but not her aerial throw) to double in hits and damage
for about 8 seconds. It also doubles the amount of reiatsu earned from
performing normals. (Side-note: Light attacks used in immediate succession do
not hit twice. For example, if you perform two standing lights one after the
other, the first light attack will hit twice, but the second will only hit
once. If you perform a standing light followed by a crouching light, however,
both attacks will hit twice.)
After it wears off, Yoruichi will go through a short cool-down animation that
leaves her wide open to attack. This technique's effect will wear off only
while Yoruichi is standing on the ground, which allows the player to get a
little more time out of this technique by performing an aerial combo.
Yoruichi's super B is the most damaging technique in her movelist, allowing for
combos that can deplete over half of her opponent's life bar for the cost of
only 1 reiatsu stock. The biggest drawback, however, is that her normal attacks
can still be damage canceled while under its effect. This means that the only
way to guarantee massive damage is to use it when your opponent's reiatsu gauge
is at or very near empty. Otherwise, either wait for a more opportune time to
use it or perform super A instead.
The other drawback for this technique is the cool-down period once it expires.
In order to safeguard yourself from this, make sure to use this technique only
when you are guaranteed to hit the enemy (either while the opponent is
recoiling from a heavy attack, stunned from her special throw, while he's being
hit by knives, or during special B). When the effect is about to expire, try to
knock the opponent to the ground with her special C and put enough distance
between you and the enemy so that he is unable to attack Yoruichi during her
cool-down period. You can also try to keep the opponent away by using her
special A knives, but its setup/recovery time might be too long to risk it.
Even though this attack itself functions in exactly the same manner it did in
Bleach DS 1, it is actually a little better in Bleach DS 2nd because Yoruichi
is capable of creating longer combos with her normal attacks in this game.
- SUPER C: SHUNKOU (SU-C) -
COMMAND:    forward back down forward attack
POSITION:   standing
VARIATIONS: none
COST:       3 stock
HITS:       75
DAMAGE:     97
Yoruichi shoots energy from her body in two parts. First, she zaps anybody in
her immediate vicinity, including those directly above or behind her. Then, she
zaps anybody directly in front of her with another blast that reaches across
the entire length of the screen. The second blast launches the opponent
diagonally upward. (The hit/damage total listed above is the maximum that I can
acquire against Menos Grande, the largest character. This technique causes
considerably less damage depending on position, the opponent's size, and
whether or not both phases of the technique hit the opponent.)
This technique is a complete waste of reiatsu stock and should ONLY be used
when you are absolutely certain that it will kill the opponent by itself.
Yoruichi's other supers are more cost-effective, and you should be using them
before your reiatsu meter is completely maxed out anyway. This move doesn't
appear to have changed since Bleach DS 1, but I don't seem to be able to cause
quite as much damage with it as I could on certain characters in the previous
game. I'm not sure if the attack's properties have changed or if it's a side-
effect of the second game's updated hitboxes.
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| TACTICS & STRATEGY                                                          |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
- LEGEND -
s     standing
c     crouching
a     aerial
L     light attack
M     medium attack
H     heavy attack
D     dash
J     jump
FS    flash step / shunpo
S-X   special attack X
RF-X  reinforced special attack X
SU-X  super attack X
IAD   instant aerial dash (see main Bleach DS 2nd FAQ)
+--------+
| COMBOS |
+--------+
The following are some relatively easy combos that Yoruichi can perform. All of
them can be padded with additional moves in one manner or another with some
practice. I'm presenting the following mostly to give a picture as to how her
attacks can chain together.
===========================
SIMPLE NORMAL ATTACK COMBOS
===========================
sL -> sM -> sH
3 hits, 15 damage
Yoruichi's standing heavy launches the opponent and allows for a follow-up
aerial combo.
sL -> sM -> cM -> cH
4 hits, 19 damage
As with other characters, a standing normal attack can be followed by a
crouching normal attack of the same strength. If you're close enough, follow
Yoruichi's standing medium with her crouching medium before ending with a heavy
attack.
(after launching opponent) -> J ->
aL -> aL -> aL -> aM -> aH -> J ->
aL -> aL -> aL -> aM -> aH
10 hits, 28 damage
Yoruichi's aerial normal attacks do not knock the opponent back to the ground.
=================
FLASH STEP COMBOS
=================
sL -> sM -> sH -> J ->
aL -> aL -> aL -> aM -> aH -> J ->
aL -> aL -> aL -> aM -> aH -> FS ->
aM -> aH -> FS ->
aM -> aH -> FS ->
aM -> aH
19 hits, 43 damage
When attacking an opponent in mid-air, flash step upwards after each heavy
attack to continue the combo.
cL -> cM -> cH -> FS ->
cL -> cM -> cH -> FS ->
cL -> cM -> cH -> FS ->
cM -> sH -> J ->
aL -> aL -> aL -> aM -> aH -> J ->
aL -> aL -> aL -> aM -> aH
21 hits, 46 damage
When attacking an opponent on the ground, flash step towards him after each
heavy attack to continue the combo.
====================
SPECIAL/SUPER COMBOS
====================
cL -> cM -> cH -> lS-B -> SU-A
38 hits, 55 damage
You can combo into a light special B from any standing or crouching normal
attack. You can combo into super A from any standing/crouching normal attack
*or* from special B. Since super A launches the opponent, you can follow it
with an aerial combo.
lS-B -> SU-B -> sL -> (custom combo)
8+ hits, 11+ damage
You can also combo into Yoruichi's super B from her special B and then quickly
follow it with more attacks. Special B has 8 hits, but it is usually a good
idea to combo into super B before all 8 hits connect so that you don't finish
the special and knock down the opponent by accident.
(after launching opponent) -> J -> aL -> aL -> aL -> aM -> aH -> RF-C
15 hits, 34 damage
Whenever you end an aerial combo, it is recommended that you use special C to
knock the opponent to the ground. I would use the RF version if you have a full
reiryoku gauge and the light version if you do not.
+--------+
| SETUPS |
+--------+
The following tactics can be used to give Yoruichi the advantage over the enemy
and follow with a custom combo.
guard cancel flash step -> light attack -> custom combo
Most of Yoruichi's attacks lack range, but she has great speed and her flash
steps cover more distance than most of the other characters. Most characters
are capable of using a guard cancel to flash step towards the opponent and
strike back with a light attack to start a combo of their own. Yoruichi has an
easier time doing this than most, in my opinion, due to her speed.
flash step -> special D (command throw) -> custom combo
This can be really difficult to pull off with any consistency, but you can use
Yoruichi's special D at any time during a flash step. Since this throw will
stun the enemy, you can follow it up with anything of your choosing.
guard cancel special D -> custom combo
Since special D is an actual special attack instead of a normal throw, you can
guard cancel into it as well. This is also difficult to perform in most
circumstances and only works if your opponent is very close to you.
RF special B -> custom combo
One of the biggest changes to the gameplay system in Bleach DS 2nd is the fact
that RF specials can now be used to hit enemies even when they're flash
stepping. Since Yoruichi's RF-B is rather fast and covers nearly the entire
length of the screen, you can use it to catch a lot of unsuspecting opponents
off-guard. Try throwing it around from time to time without making it too
predictable.
RF special B or super A -> aerial combo -> light or RF special C
Both of these attacks launch the opponent upwards, which allows you to follow
with an aerial combo. This works best in the corner of the screen.
knockdown -> medium special A
Yoruichi's special A has a very long startup time, so the only time you should
really ever use it is when you have plenty of time before your opponent will
recover from a knockdown (such as after using a mid-air special C). Though it's
easy to block, if it does connect it'll give you another opportunity for a
follow-up combo.
+---------------------------+
| USING SUPER B EFFECTIVELY |
+---------------------------+
I suppose I'll just cut to the chase. As stated before, Yoruichi's super B is
the most damaging technique in her movelist. Here's why:
SU-B -> IAD -> aM -> aH -> D ->
sL -> sL -> cL -> sM -> cM -> sH -> J ->
aL -> aL -> aL -> aL -> aM -> aH -> J ->
aL -> aL -> aL -> aL -> aM -> aH -> FS ->
aL -> aM -> aH -> FS ->
aM -> aH -> FS ->
aM -> aH -> RF-C
61 hits, 149 damage
Stringing all of these normal attacks together is impossible under normal
circumstances. Super B makes it so that each normal attack hits twice and has
less recoil. On top of that, Yoruichi's normal attacks have less recoil in
Bleach DS 2nd than they did in the original game, so you can actually create
longer combos with her super B in 2nd than you could in 1st.
With this single combo, you can eliminate over 58% of your opponent's lifebar
and also earn enough reiatsu in the process to regain the stock you used to
perform it and some more on top of that. This might be a lot to take in for
beginning players, but you don't have to perform all of these hits in order to
make the combo effective. For that matter, if your opponent is good, he'll
probably damage cancel out of this combo before you can finish it anyway, so it
might be a good idea to skip some moves in the middle of it and use RF-C right
before your opponent's reiatsu stock is about to increase. Here's a less
damaging, but easier and more practical version:
SU-B -> sL -> sM -> sH -> J ->
aL -> aL -> aL -> aM -> aH -> J ->
aL -> aL -> aL -> aM -> aH -> FS ->
aM -> aH -> FS ->
aM -> aH -> FS ->
aM -> aH -> RF-C
48 hits, 127 damage
This combo has much less hits, but it still causes about 50% damage to the
opponent and will still give him enough reiatsu to damage cancel.
Now, compare the following two combos:
SU-B -> sL -> sL -> cL -> sM -> cM -> cH
11 hits, 48 damage
SU-B -> aL -> aL -> aL -> aL -> aM -> aH
9 hits, 38 damage
Without using flash steps or dashes, you can actually cause more damage on the
ground with super B than you can in the air. Theoretically, the following would
be a much more damaging combo you could perform with super B than any of the
previous ones:
SU-B -> IAD -> aM -> aH -> D ->
sL -> sL -> cL -> sM -> cM -> cH -> FS ->
sL -> sL -> cL -> sM -> cM -> cH -> FS ->
sL -> sL -> cL -> sM -> cM -> cH -> FS ->
sL -> sL -> cL -> sM -> cM -> sH -> J ->
aL -> aL -> aL -> aL -> aM -> aH -> J ->
aL -> aL -> aL -> aL -> aM -> aH -> RF-C
~77 hits, ??? damage
This would require that you use flash steps on the ground to link
standing/crouching attacks together. However, in order to successfully pull
this off, you'd need to keep your opponent pinned against the corner the entire
time and be precise enough with flash steps so that you get as close as
possible to him without flash stepping past him. On top of that, I'm not even
sure if it's possible to connect all of those ground attacks together before
the effect wears off. This is a little out of my league.
As stated previously, the drawbacks for this super attack are (1) the fact that
it can be damage canceled and (2) the fact that Yoruichi will come to a
complete stand-still for a few seconds after the effect wears off, leaving her
wide open to a counter attack. In order to prevent the first one from becoming
an issue, only start super B combos when the opponent's reiatsu gauge is at or
very near empty. To prevent the second, end the combo with an aerial special C
and put as much distance as possible between you and the opponent in order to
keep from getting attacked until you recover.
If you have a lot of reiatsu in reserves but your opponent has enough to damage
cancel, try setting up a combo that uses super A instead of super B.
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| CREDITS, LEGAL JUNK, AND VERSION HISTORY                                    |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
This document was written by Sixfortyfive and intended for publication on
www.gamefaqs.com. If you wish to host this guide on another site, feel free to
do so. Just give credit where it's due.
Props to the guys in the IRC channel for some pointers.
1.00 (March 2, 2007)
- initial release