BRYAN FURY MACROPEDIA A Macropedia/FAQ for Tekken Tag Tournament May 2, 2002 Version 1.00 By: Æsir (marck ronald rimorin) Addresses: marckronald@yahoo.com marck_ronald_rimorin@hotmail.com marck@tekken.cc 1234567890 .......... Guide must be read on WordPad, fit to window wrapping, Courier New 10. ------------------- [table of contents] ------------------- PART ONE 1. legal matters & hoo-ha-ha 2. the macropedia 3. bryan in-depth 4. introduction 5. advantages of bryan 6. disadvantages of bryan PART TWO 7. movement conventions 8. movelist 9. movelist in-depth PART THREE 10. vs. character strategies 11. tag partners and strategies 12. psychology PART FOUR 13. poking 14. blocking 15. throws 16. dashing and swaying 17. okizeme 18. sidestepping 19. buffering 20. combos & juggles 21. custom strings PART FIVE 22. putting it all together 23. tekken resources 24. thanks ======================================================= [ P A R T O N E ] ======================================================= ------------------------------ [1. legal matters & hoo-ha-ha] ------------------------------ Tekken, Tekken 3, Tekken Tag Tournament, Tekken 4, its characters and all other Tekken-related trademarks are copyrighted (C) Namco. This playing and strategy guide, hereby known as GUIDE, and its writer is in any way not affiliated with Namco and all other companies and/or individuals and/or groups affiliated with said company. This GUIDE is sanctioned by said entertainment company and other Tekken forums to be free and for personal use only. Reader of this GUIDE is permitted to print unlimited copies of guide for personal purposes and without profit and/or gain. ------------------- [2. the macropedia] ------------------- This is how I'll write FAQ's from now on (concise version available upon public demand). This provides an in-depth guide to those who want to learn the basics and the more intricate aspects of Tekken, and in this case, Bryan Fury. Since you went through all this trouble downloading this guide in the first place, allow me to introduce myself: I am Marck Ronald Rimorin, known as Æsir in these parts of the neighborhood. I'm 16 years old and an incoming college freshman. I am from the Philippines. I am about to study at the University of the Philippines, to take up psychology and political science. This beautiful country is home to a lot of good Tekken players, but I honestly say that I am no top-caliber in this place, but I am qualified to teach you because people think I play one scary game. I play more Tekken in consoles than in arcades because the arcades in here are messed up by button mashers. I stick to offensive characters like Kazuya, Julia, Michelle, Nina, Bruce, Ogre, and the Jacks, and especially Bryan. I also tend to play animals like Gon from T3, Alex/Roger and Kuma. I'm fairly easy to spot: I'm the tall, skinny, bone-white guy who wears monochrome outfits, the thick jackets at the heat of the afternoon, ultra-thick glasses and worn-down hair brought about by nearly a decade of hair gel. I also play other games like GT A-Spec, Counterstrike (FAQ coming up), C&C Renegade, Return to Castle Wolfenstein, Quake III, Unreal Tournament, stuff Filipinos like to play. If you have any comments, questions or other stuff you wanna share, and I mean any stuff, don't hesitate to e-mail me at any of the addresses up there. Don't send me net worms or I'm gonna getcha. Send me anything: especially gaming or anime-related stuff (no hentai, pls.) and I'll try to respond to everything. Come stop by for lunch sometime... or you wanna play Tekken? ------------------- [3. bryan in-depth] ------------------- 3.1. Profile Name: Bryan Fury Age: 29 Height: 6'1 Weight: 80 kg Catch Copy: Snake Eye Nationality: American Fighting Style: Kickboxing Occupation: Collecting brain data Likes: Solitude, haircutting, his pants Dislikes: Sunlight, Yoshimitsu 3.2. Story Bryan Fury, of the International Police Organization, had a reputation as a skillful detective with a dark side. A case involving Lei Wulong, of the Hong Kong PD, pointed to a connection between Bryan and the drug trade. At 29 Bryan was killed in a Hong Kong shoot out. Instead of his body going to the grave, it was brought to the laboratory of a reputed underworld scientist,Dr. Abel. Bryan's body was reanimated by Dr. Abel for special future projects. Though much of Dr. Abel's research was pioneered by Dr. Boskonovitch, he could be the first to complete an AI controlled "Cyborg Army". But first he needs Bryan to collect the perfect brain data from none other than Dr. Boskonovitch himself. Bryan successfully sneaks into the tournament and targets Yoshimitsu because of his close ties with Dr. Boskonovitch. ----------------- [4. introduction] ----------------- Bryan is one of the most underutilized characters in Tekken Tag Tournament, though he is in the highest tier of characters. Despite all of his weaknesses, he is arguably one of the strongest characters in the game, if not the strongest. He has the ability to do madhouse combos that deplete nearly half of your life bar off a single counter, poke all day, speed, parries, strings, name it. Bryan, though, is famous for custom strings and, like I said, madhouse combos. Bryan is also the king of counterattacks and the ayatollah of all WS moves. Bryan is fairly easy to learn. He is perfect for beginners and advanced players alike. Unlike characters like Lei, Xiaoyu and King, Bryan hits... and delivers, with a medium sized movelist (not as short as Kazuya's or as long as Lei's). I know there's a lot of players out there who play Bryan better than I do, but give me a few games, and give this FAQ a read. If you're a beginner, I hope you'll find this FAQ invigorating and exciting enough to play Bryan Fury. If you're an expert, I'll hope you'll find this to your standards. ------------------------ [5. advantages of bryan] ------------------------ Speed: Bryan is a very fast character. He can run better than anyone else in the game. His moves are no slouches either, best exemplified by the Mach Breaker, which is the fastest power move in the game. Power: When it comes to strings, pokes and powermoves, Bryan always comes out on top, because of his relatively fast unblockables and superlative array of power moves. All of his attacks, be command move or basic punches or kicks, deliver. Juggles: While Bryan's juggles aren't overflowing with finesse such as the Mishima's, they get the job done... pretty good. Most juggles from Bryan's arsenal are done from qcb_b+1, ws+2~b_f+2, and ws+1. As far as juggles go, he has enough fast strings and linkers to boot. Combos & Strings: This is how Bryan really deals damage. Any of his arts can start up his combos and strings. Chains of Misery: This is the reason why Bryan is most feared. This is the coolest throw in the game, far outmatching King's multithrows. Just that sadistic laugh alone and the coolness factor of that throw can make anybody cower in fear. --------------------------- [6. disadvantages of bryan] --------------------------- Chronic lack of low attacks: The true problem with Bryan Fury is his chronic lack of low attacks. Most of Bryan's attacks hit high or mid. In any event, that's not a bad thing when you're playing scrubs. That's a bad thing when most experts block at active guard (refer to section 14.3: active guard), and that's often. This weakness also exhibits itself very, very strongly on okizeme, because you can't hit low attacks often. ======================================================= [ P A R T T W O ] ======================================================= ------------------------- [7. movement conventions] ------------------------- 7.1. Button Layout P1 P2 u u ub \ | / uf (1) (2) (5) uf \ | / ub (1) (2) (5) b - N - f f - N - b db / | \ df (3) (4) df / | \ db (3) (4) d d STICK/DIRECTIONAL: u = up uf = up/forward diagonal N = neutral position d = down df = down/forward diagonal CAPS = hold stick/directional f = forward ub = up/back diagonal small = tap stick/directional b = backward db = down/back diagonal QCF = quartercircle forward (d,df,f) QCB = quartercircle backward (d,db,b) HCF = halfcircle forward (d,df,f,uf,u) HCB = halfcircle backward (d,db,d,ub,u) BUTTONS: 1 = left punch (square) 3 = left kick (x) 5 = tag (R3) 2 = right punch (triangle) 4 = right kick (circle) SHOULDER BUTTONS (For PS2 only): I don't really superimpose my beliefs on the shoulder buttons, but I find that there are two shoulder button configurations which work well on Bryan. It really depends on your personal choice. CONFIGURATION 1: CONFIGURATION 2: L1 = 2+4 R1 = 1+2 L1 = 1+4 R1 = 1+2 L2 = 1+3 R2 = 3+4 L2 = 1+3 R2 = 3+4 7.2. Notations FC = full crouch position WS = while standing up WR = while running SS = sidestep either way SSL = sidestep left SSR = sidestep right ~ = immediately after , = followed by + = simultaneously [ ] = optional command _ = or = = next in sequence 7.3. Properties MC = major counter KD = knockdown JG = jugglestarter BN = bounce jugglestarter CH = counterhit ST = stuns DS = double over stuns TK = tumble knockback GB = guard break l = hits low h = hits high m = hits mid Sm = hits special mid ! = unblockable ------------- [8. movelist] ------------- 8.1. Throws ------------------------------------------------------------------ Input Name Damage Type Escape ------------------------------------------------------------------ 1+3 DDT 30 front 1 2+4 Brainbuster 30 front 2 FC,d,df,d,df+1+2 Chains of Misery 45 front 1+2 1+3_2+4 Sidewalk Slam 40 left 1 1+3_2+4 Knee Blast 40 right 2 1+3_2+4 Hummer Wringer 60 back none B+1+2~2 Punch Parry 26 parry none d+1+3_d+2+4 Low Counter -- counter none 8.2. Special Techniques & Classified Combos ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Input Name Damage Range Properties ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- F+1+2 Spinning Elbow 26 h 1,2,3 Northern Lights 6,8,15 h,h,l b+3 Front Kick 20 h b+3,4 Front Kick to Knee 20,16 h,m f,f+2 Mach Breaker 26 h f,f+3 Slash Kick 36 m TK f,f+4 Mach Kick 30 h b,b+3 Flying Heel Kick 25 h KD 3,2,1,4 Bruce Special 18,11,10,12 m,m,m,l 3,2,1,2 Gatling Combo 18,11,10,14 m,m,m,m b+3,2 Front Kick to Punch 20,12 h,h 1,2,1,2 Rush Punches 6,8,11,14 h,m,m,m 1,2,1,4 Rush Punches to Low Kick 6,8,11,12 h,m,m,l b+3,2,1,2 Front Kick to Rush 20,12,11,14 h,h,m,m b+3,2,1,4 Run for Cover 20,12,11,12 h,h,m,l 3,3 Double Spin Kicks 18,16 m,h f+4,3,4 Running Blind 18,14,18 h,m,h df+1 Left Body Blow 10 m DF+1,1,1,1,2 Vulcan Cannon 10,15,12,11,16 m,m,m,m,m df+2 Right Body Blow 16 m DF+1,2 1-2 Body Blow 10,16 m,m b+2 Doom Knuckle 21 h ST b+2,1 Double Doom Knuckle 21,21 h,h CS b+2,1,2 Hands of Doom 21,21,21 h,h,h b+2,1,4 Wolf Bite 21,21,26 h,h,m ws_qcf+1 Left Upper 18 m JG ws_qcf+2 Right Upper 26 m b_f+2 Fisherman's Slam 21 throw JG ws_qcf+3 Rising Knee 22 m ST on MC ws_qcf+4 Rising Kick 24 h ws_qcf+1+2 Short Upper 12 m ws_qcf+3,4 Stampede 22,16 m,m qcb+2 Chin Smash 21 h JG d_db+2 Stomach Lift 18 m LS SS+1 Headhunter 33 h SS+2 Shellshock 26 h #1 SS+1,2 Cheap Trick 28 m ST on CH 1+2 Snake Fang 14,21 m,m #2,#3 u_uf+3 Rolling Driver 25 m u_uf+4 Orbital Heel Kick 21 m JG df+4 Broad Axe 26 m df+3 Snake Edge 17 l JG 1,4,2,1,2 Lair's Dance 6,15,21,21,21 h,h,h,h,h 1,4,2,1,4 Cremation 6,15,21,21,26 h,h,h,h,m 1,4,3,3 Run Like Hell 6,15,17,16 h,h,m,m b+1 Snake Slam 18 h JG 1+3+4 Knee Taunt -- Taunt QCB Sway -- -- #1 = shows opponent's side when hit #2 = requires to be up close in order for 2 hits to hit; otherwise, only 2nd hit will hit #3 = evades high hits 8.3. Unblockables ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Input Name Damage Range Properties ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- b+1+4 Meteor Smash 60 ! #1 f+1+4 Meteor Blow 21 ! #1 #1 = evades high hits 8.4. Strings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Input Name Damage Range ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- b+3,4,1,2,1,4,2,1,4,2 Tenstring 20,12,5,7,3,8,5,5,10,21 h,m,m,m,h,h,h,h,m,h b+3,4,1,2,1,4,2,4 Eightstring 20,12,5,7,3,8,5,26 h,m,m,m,h,h,h,m b+3,4,1,2,1,4,3,4 Eightstring 20,12,5,7,3,8,17,16 h,m,m,m,h,h,m,h ---------------------- [9. movelist in-depth] ---------------------- 9.1. The Star Rating System For the benefit of those reading this guide, I used a visual rating scale in the form of stars (*) to rate moves. ***** = five-star. Use and abuse... okay, forget the abuse part. These moves must be used as frequently as possible without being cheezy because these moves will definitely help you win games. Most of the moves classified under five-star are moves often used by experts. **** = a very good move which must be frequently utilized in the game. Some aspects of these moves keep it from being five-star, but nonetheless are very important. *** = average move. These moves do have their share of advantages and disadvantages, albeit 50/50. Though these aren't flashy and fantastic, they have their uses in the mix-up aspect of the game. They do have their uses, after all. ** = moves which are executed by a button mashing idiot and/or a cocky player and/or a mis- match. These moves are cancelled out by better moves in Bryan's arsenal, though in some instances these moves do come out... in desperation. * = grade A nonsense. These are the moves which give Bryan a darned bad rap. Not worth talking about. 9.2. Throws Input: 1+3 Name: DDT Damage: 30 Type: front Escape: 1 Rating: *** Your run-of-the-mill average throw. Nothing special, inasmuch as strikes do more damage over time over throws. I often use this as a cheap way to humiliate opponents who just eat the throws. This is a better throw than the Brainbuster because there's a bigger chance of okizeme with this throw. Input: 2+4 Name: Brainbuster Damage: 30 Type: front Escape: 2 Rating: *** Another run-of-the-mill average throw. It's not any better than the DDT anyways, though its a good way to deal a great deal of damage in one sitting. Input: FC,df,d,df+1+2 Name: Chains of Misery Damage: 45 Type: front Escape: 1+2 Rating: ***** Mad Axes? Tombstone Piledriver? Nah, they look pale when compared to the Chains of Misery. Nobody seems to want to escape this move because it just looks too darned cool. This move is relatively easy to set up. Any move that, when blocked, lets you recover crouching, especially Paul's Hammer of the Gods (f+1+2), any move which allows you to crouch and crouch guard sets up this move perfectly. This move is just plain deadly and can take away nearly half of your opponent's lifebar when proper okizeme procedures are performed. Input: 1+3_2+4 on opponent's left side Input: 1+3_2+4 on opponent's right side Name: Sidewalk Slam Name: Knee Blast Damage: 40 Damage: 40 Type: left side throw Type: right side throw Escape: 1 Escape: 2 Rating: *** Rating: *** Sidethrows are especially useful when done on the right place at the right time. Provided that you have a really good sidestep, or if you pull off the Shellshock (SS+2), these things really are a pain in the ass. Input: 1+3_2+4 on opponent's back Name: Hummer Wringer Damage: 60 Type: back Escape: none Rating: *** Whenever an opponent whiffs a move and you happen to be on his back, or if your opponent recovers on a backturned position, the Hummer Wringer is one throw worth fearing. This move is inescapable as it deals so much damage and it sends the opponent on a tumbling knockback that could not be techrolled on a tag-in. But unless you happen to have some good timing and enough guts, do not backthrow backturned Xiaoyu's and/or Lei's because these characters are very powerful when backturned. Input: B+1+2~2 Name: Punch Parry Damage: 26 Type: Parry Escape: none Rating: ***** The punch parry is the most awesome move in Bryan's arsenal. Though many people see him as an all-offense character, this parry makes him invincible against punchers like the Jacks, Kuma, Panda, and, you guessed it, Paul and Bruce. Whenever Bryan reverses a left punch attack (Gun Jack's G-Clef Cannon [1,1,1]), he gets a guaranteed f,f+2 Mach Breaker, upon pressing 2. And if Bryan does so with a right punch attack (Paul's Smasher [QCF+2]), Bryan is guaranteed a df+2 Right Body Blow, upon pressing 2. This is a very deadly move to punish high, mid, and yes, special mid punch attacks. Input: d+1+3_d+2+4 Name: Low Counter Damage: -- Type: counter Escape: -- Rating: ***** Basically, this is used to parry low attacks from the likes of King and Eddy. Use this whenever possible because this is an important aspect of Bryan's defensive game. 9.3. Special Techniques Input: F+1+2 Name: Spinning Elbow Damage: 26 Hit Level: h Rating: *** The Spinning Elbow is a fast, nice-tracking power move that could be the equivalent of the Mishima Hellsweeps; only it doesn't juggle and it hits high. This adds a pretty good damage factor to your game, though it isn't that good of a move at all. It hits high, and it has very bad recovery time. Whiff this move (and believe me, you'll whiff it a lot) and you'll eat a lot of what your opponent has to offer. However, this is a good move against characters who don't track well, like Bruce and Heihachi, because this will knock them down pretty good. Input: 1,2,3 Name: Northern Lights Damage: 6,8,15 Hit Level: h,h,l Rating: ***** This move is where all of Bryan's combo abilities are concentrated in. This move doesn't knock down, but a lot of follow ups to this knock down. This move can be done at a safe distance and when done so, any move can be some sort of a followup. Input: b+3 Name: Front Kick Damage: 20 Hit Level: h Rating: ** If this was one hell of a poking move as it is being hailed as, I find that wrong. I find that this move comes out slow, and is not in any way a poking move. This comes out relatively slow and hits high. This move comes out so slow that Xiaoyu's and Lei's can drop down and await the next bad thing about this move, it recovers a little slow, enough for them to destroy you. However, this is good as a surprise move and is a relatively good move against big characters. Input: b+3,4 Name: Front Kick to Knee Damage: 20,16 Hit Level: h,m Rating: **** Though this starts off with the Front Kick, this move's saving grace is the knee follow up which is fast enough to MC whatever they're plotting. This move is the beginning of Bryan's useless tenstrings. Input: f,f+2 Name: Mach Breaker Damage: 26 Hit Level: h Rating: ***** This is Bryan's answer to Paul's Phoenix Smasher, and is better than the latter. This move does not have the advantage of the mid-hitting Phoenix Smasher in the way of a crouch dash, but this is so fast that it's hard to see coming. This is the ultimate punisher to every whiffed and blocked move. Upon many experiments with this, I don't know if its a glitch, but I perform a supercharger (1+2+3+4) and then do this, it causes guard break and blockstun. The only bad side to this move is that it recovers a little slow, but what difference does it make when your opponent is sprawling on the floor not close enough to try anything anyway? Input: f,f+3 Name: Slash Kick Damage: 36 Hit Level: m Rating: **** The tumbling, knockbacking, long-range Slash Kick is another answer to Paul's Smasher. It is a tumble knockback kick which has a long range, hits mid and deals a great deal of damage. This is one of my favorite moves of Bryan's arsenal because it can drain as much as 70% off your opponent's lifebar, coupled with a humongous tackle. Under any circumstances, do not allow this move to whiff or be blocked: you WILL eat whatever's coming. Input: f,f+4 Name: Mach Kick Damage: 30 Hit Level: h Rating: **** This move is basically used to take your opponent down for good. This is a good thing to do upon tag-in because this is fast. The only problem with this move is that there's no window for okizeme afterwards. The neat thing about this move is that it has one of the longest ranges among Bryan's arsenal. Input: b,b+3 Name: Flying Heel Kick Damage: 25 Hit Level: h Rating: **** This is, basically, kamikaze. You hit a power move and you lie sprawling on the floor yourself. But this move is better off than eating any of the following: Wind Godfist, Lighting Godfist and Lightning Screw... dammit any Mishima move which comes off a crouchdash. Most Mishima players I know fear this move from me because I managed to time this perfectly. The only downside to this move is that you recover in a bad position, not good to do a Flying Cross Chop or a Rising Kickup. Input: 3,2,1,4 Name: Bruce Special Damage: 18,11,10,12 Hit Level: m,m,m,l Rating: ***** To name such a good move after Bruce is such an uncaring way to remove interest from this character, IMO. The Bruce Special is a powerful combo capable of licking your opponent in a matter of a few seconds. On counterhit, all four hits connect, and this is a very beautiful juggle ender. Input: 3,2,1,2 Name: Gatling Combo Damage: 18,11,10,14 Hit Level: m,m,m,m Rating: ***** The big brother of the Bruce Special. This time, it's christened the Gatling Combo. This move is a deadlier version of the Bruce Special because it hits all mid, but this deadliness applies to juggles only and not ground attacks. If done as a standalone combo, the Bruce Special and Gatling Combo doesn't make a big difference. Input: b+3,2 Name: Front Kick to Punch Damage: 20,12 Hit Level: h,h Rating: *** This move, basically a reversed PDK which hits high, is no different from the PDK when it comes to usefulness and effectivity. This move is not useless, because it can be used as a juggle linker because it is relatively fast and it does hit high. This move has good recovery time. Input: 1,2,1,2 Name: Rush Punches Damage: 6,8,11,14 Hit Level: m,m,m,m Rating: ***** Every character has their version of Rush Punches: Lei's Razor Rush, Paul's 1-2 string, the Jack Rushes, but Bryan's rush is so strong and so effective that many people consider it to be one of the best rushes in the game. It's fast, strong and has range. The great thing about this move is that once your opponent eats the first punch, the rest of the punches are uncounterable... but blockable. This move is so fast, though, that your opponent will have to block or counter the first punch. If not, he or she will be forced to eat the entire string. Input: 1,2,1,4 Name: Rush Punches to Low Kick Damage: 6,8,11,12 Hit Level: m,m,m,l Rating: ***** Inasmuch as the euphoria or the speed of the game forces you to do the full Rush Punches string, this is a good alternative. It isn't any different from the Rush Punches, though the last hit is a low kick. The good thing about that is that you can easily tick in a few points of damage if the punches are blocked. Input: b+3,2,1,2 Name: Front Kick to Rush Damage: 20,12,11,14 Hit Level: h,h,m,m Rating: *** As this move is a move beginning with a front kick, this move becomes tainted. Though this deals damage outright, this move makes for a good surprise combo but must never be part of your general arsenal. Generally, this move is used to gain some headway, some distance... like you would want to do that when most of Bryan's moves are close-range. Input: b+3,2,1,4 Name: Run For Cover Damage: 20,12,11,12 Hit Level: h,h,m,l Rating: *** This is another move utilized to gain some space between you and your opponent. This is a great thing to use if you face Mishimas and Paul. The saving grace to this move is that the last hit hits low, therefore ticking in a little damage to people blocking with neutral guard. Input: 3,3 Name: Double Spin Kicks Damage: 18,16 Hit Level: m,h Rating: ** A move not worth executing unless you know what you're doing. The first kick is decent enough, but the second kick is a little weaker and takes forever to come out. Input: f+4,3,4 Name: Running Blind Damage: 18,14,18 Hit Level: h,m,h Rating: *** Three average-speed kicks used to deal massive damage in juggles and combos. Not that good, but good enough to deal in some desperation damage because this should only be used as a last-ditch effort to save your game. Input: df+1 Name: Left Body Blow Damage: 10 Hit Level: m Rating: **** This is the starter for, hands down, the fastest and perhaps one of the most devastating combos Bryan has. Unlike its big brother, the Right Body Blow, this move doesn't cause blockstun, and only a few moves revolve around this move. Input: DF+1,1,1,1,2 Name: Vulcan Cannon Damage: 10,15,12,11,16 Hit Level: m,m,m,m,m Rating: ***** This combo is hell on earth. First, Bryan's left body blow moves four times in a rapid, piston-like motion. As if that wasn't good enough, his right body blow comes crashing into his opponent and... the rest will be history. This move is enough to scare the ba-Jesus out of anyone because no one seems to block this after the first hit, even though they can. Input: df+2 Name: Right Body Blow Damage: 16 Hit Level: m Rating: ***** Bryan's poking game revolves out of five things: his right jab, his left jab, his ws+2 uppercut, his Left Body Blow, and the most important, the Right Body Blow. This move was one of the first things I used when I was still a beginner with Bryan. I use it less and less now, singing my praises to custom strings and other characters like Lee Chaolan, Ogre and the Williams bombshells. I still use this move, albeit less frequently, since this move causes blockstun and has range. If this move is blocked, you can buffer it with your favorite throw. Input: DF+1,2 Name: 1-2 Body Blow Damage: 10,16 Hit Level: m,m Rating: **** Basically, this is a combination of the left body blow and the right body blow. The left body blow doesn't move like a piston for four times, though. Input: b+2 Name: Doom Knuckle Damage: 21 Hit Level: h Rating: ***** Think Hwoarang's Backfist and Jin's White Heron... did any one of those moves make perfect sense? No. The Backfist was short and weak, whilst Jin's White Heron was short and relatively useless when done alone. Here's the best backfist out there: Bryan's Doom Knuckle. This move comes out fast, it stuns, has range, and most importantly, has power. Punish whoever you want: a whiffed move, a blocked move, this does it all. Input: b+2,1 Name: Double Doom Knuckle Damage: 21,21 Hit Level: h,h Rating: ***** As if the Doom Knuckle wasn't punishment enough, this is the second installment. The Double Doom Knuckle is dangerous enough when used as is, and even more dangerous when followed up with either the Hands of Doom or the Wolf Bite. This is a nice way to end juggles. Input: b+2,1,2 Name: Hands of Doom Damage: 21,21,21 Hit Level: h,h,h Rating: ***** To add insult to injury, the Hands of Doom is a deadly move which makes Bryan so feared by many. This move is so feared because it ends in a Mach Breaker. On MC, this move can remove 70% off your life bar. Believe me, this move most always occurs on MC. This is a very nice way to end juggles. Input: b+2,1,4 Name: Wolf Bite Damage: 21,21,26 Hit Level: h,h,m Rating: ***** The Wolf Bite is basically Hands of Doom which ends up in a Broad Axe. This deals 5 more damage than the Hands of Doom, and the last hit hits mid. This, like the Hands of Doom, is a good way to end juggles. Input: ws_qcf+1 Name: Left Upper Damage: 18 Hit Level: m Rating: ***** This is Bryan's only biggie launcher. This is a relatively weak launcher unlike Devil's SS+2, which is also a Class 1 launcher, but this is quicker to execute. This is not a tag launcher as anyone could imagine, but this launches high enough for a tag-in juggle. This move is important to deal some good damage. Input: ws_qcf+2 Name: Right Upper Damage: 26 Hit Level: m Rating: ***** This move, when used alone, is an INSANE move. When coupled by its follow-up, it's even more INSANE. This is, perhaps, my favorite move in Tekken because of its follow-up. This move doesn't knock down, but it has great recovery time, fast to execute and doesn't let your opponent recover that quick. Input: right upper, b_f+2 Name: Fisherman's Slam Damage: 21 Hit Level: throw Rating: ***** I just about love this move to death. It comes out from crouchdash or WS, it deals out insane damage, and it bounce juggles. The height of this juggle is good enough for a tag-in for a good juggler like Jin or Julia, or you can do it yourself, which is IMO the way to go. A good way to finish off juggles with this move is with the Hands of Doom or the Lair's Dance. Input: ws_qcf+3 Name: Rising Knee Damage: 22 Hit Level: m Rating: ***** This is my second favorite move in Tekken because this is THE combo-starter. This is the way Bryan experts do those 100+ combos on a single counter. I guarantee that those combos will ALWAYS come out (read my section on "Combos") because almost always, this move connects on counterhit. This move comes from mixup on three positions: crouchdash, while rising (from crouch) and recovery. Input: ws_qcf+4 Name: Rising Kick Damage: 24 Hit Level: h Rating: *** Among all of Bryan's ws moves, this is relatively useless. Sure, it deals a little bit more damage than the Rising Knee, but this hits high, which isn't much useful against crouching opponents. This comes out a little bit slower than the Rising Knee, and you can't do much after which. Still, this is a good move to pull off as an interrupt. Input: ws_qcf+1+2 Name: Short Upper Damage: 12 Hit Level: m Rating: **** I use the Short Upper as an interrupt more than a staple move. This comes out a little faster than the Left Upper, but it doesn't juggle. Still, you can do a lot after this whenever you connect it on a counterhit. Input: ws_qcf+3,4 Name: Stampede Damage: 22,16 Hit Level: m,m Rating: **** Imagine Bruce's Triple Knees combo, and remove the first knee. That's the Stampede. It's weaker than the Triple Knees and has less priority, but it's good enough to deal decent damage. This doesn't cause guard break, so the whole thing doesn't hit often as the Triple Knees, but you get the point. Input: qcb+2 Name: Chin Smash Damage: 21 Hit Level: h Rating: ***** The default attack from sway. This is a high jugglestarter, and a pretty good one at that. Bryan has a fast sway so you should have no problem with this move being a telegraphic nightmare. The juggles you get from this are fairly decent, and while not Mishima-esque they get the job done. This is a great example of a move which is both offensive and defensive at the same time. Input: d_db+2 Name: Stomach Smash Damage: 18 Hit Level: m Rating: ***** Think of Kazuya's Gutpunch toned down a little. This move isn't one uber smash like that of Kazuya's, but it has lift stun, opening the window of opportunity wide open for any combo or an unblockable. Input: SS+1 Name: Headhunter Damage: 33 Hit Level: h Rating: **** This is my favorite move off a sidestep. Sure, it's a little slow, it can be spotted easily, but know how to time it and this move will take a shitload of damage. Use the Headhunter whenever a slow recovering move is whiffed or if your opponent whiffed a bad-tracking move (esp. on Heihachi's moves and Paul's moves), or whenever you see him charging up for an unblockable. This move knocks down with a great window of okizeme open. Input: SS+2 Name: Shellshock Damage: 26 Hit Level: h Rating: **** The great thing about the Shellshock is that besides the fact that it deals great damage, it shows the opponent's side when hit, setting up a possible side throw or, even better, a cheap strafe for a backthrow. Use this as you would use the Headhunter. Input: SS+1,2 Name: Cheap Trick Damage: 28 Hit Level: m Rating: ** This move looks strange. Bryan would apparently set up the Headhunter, but will stop midway and do a Body Blow instead. Remember that you cannot fool anyone with this move, because besides being way too slow for a sidestep move and the fact that it has bad tracking, the damage isn't worth it. There are better moves in Bryan's arsenal which can do the job better. Input: 1+2 Name: Snake Fang Damage: 14,21 Hit Level: m,m Rating: *** This is a Bryan move which is perfect in close-quarters combat, but is an overused move in the first place. Sure, it has raw power and speed written all over it, but it tracks pretty bad and is easy to see coming. The good thing about this move is that it is a good way to finish juggles done from floating jugglestarters and this is a good way to kill crouching opponents. Input: u_uf+3 Name: Rolling Driver Damage: 25 Hit Level: m Rating: ***** While most other characters possess a hopkick or snapkick, this move is a mid-hitting kick which, despite its odd-looking animation is blazingly fast and tracks well. This move, on its own, is deadly enough but when used in combos (refer to "Combos" section) is deadlier. Input: u_uf+4 Name: Orbital Heel Kick Damage: 21 Hit Level: m Rating: **** This is basically a Rolling Driver which juggles. What it doesn't have in the way of power it has in the way of juggling power. Though it doesn't juggle very high, you can put in the Hands of Doom pretty much. Input: df+4 Name: Broad Axe Damage: 26 Hit Level: m Rating: ***** The Broad Axe is a powerful kick which basically sends you sprawling down. No technical details on finesse. This is a powerful move and good move to pull off in no matter what case because it comes out faster than you think. Input: df+3 Name: Snake Edge Damage: 17 Hit Level: l Rating: **** This is one of the very few low attacks that you should use. This is not just a regular low attack because it is a low-hitting jugglestarter. The only real problem with this move is that you can't do a lot afterwards, except perhaps a Stampede. Input: 1,4,2,1,2 Name: Lair's Dance Damage: 6,18,21,21,21 Hit Level: h,h,h,h,h Rating: *** This could have been one of the best combos in Tekken, but it isn't. This comes out slow, it hits all high, and is easy to spot. This is just a punch, a kick and Hands of Doom. Sure, if you connect the Lair's Dance you take away one hell of a shitload of damage, but most of the time, you don't. I only use the Lair's Dance as a juggle. Input: 1,4,2,1,4 Name: Cremation Damage: 6,15,21,21,26 Hit Level: h,h,h,h,m Rating: **** This is Lair's Dance with a punch, a kick and Wolf Bite. The good thing about this move is that it hits in a mid-hitting kick, so if they go under the whole string, you can still take damage with that Broad Axe finisher. Like the Lair's Dance, I only use Cremation as a juggle. Input: b+1 Name: Snake Slam Damage: 18 Hit Level: h Rating: **** As another new addition to Bryan's arsenal, this looks like a tile splitter, but I don't really know the name. Anyways, this is a bounce jugglestarter that is quick to pull off, and you'll find a lot of players using this a lot. Don't be fooled: there are a lot of moves which get the job done better than this. But often, this is your only option. Input: 1+3+4 Name: Knee Taunt Damage: -- Hit Level: -- Rating: ***** Taunting is the art of gaining psychological advantage while making yourself look cool. To add to the coolness factor of Bryan Fury, Namco has decided to give Bryan a taunt which looks so cool that it's idiotic to stop it. Taunts can be used to guard break, to link juggles and to mock your opponent. By cancelling the taunt frequently, you do the Bryan Can-Can Special (thanks to Renick about this. The basic throws are guaranteed afterward. Input: QCB Name: Sway Damage: -- Hit Level: -- Rating: ***** This is your best defensive move. Only Nina and Paul possess the same move, but I think Bryan's sway is the best because a lot of moves can be chained off the sway (see "Sway" section). Input: B+1+4 Name: Meteor Smash Damage: 60 Hit Level: ! Rating: **** This is one of Bryan's two unblockables. If you know how to use unblockables very well, use the four stars. If you don't know how to time unblockables, give this two stars. This unblockable is relatively fast that you might as well connect it three out of five times. The good thing about this move is that it evades high hits, so if your opponent whiffs a slow-recovering high hit, you might as well use this. Input: F+1+4 Name: Meteor Blow Damage: 21 Hit Level: ! Rating: ***** This is the second unblockable which comes out very, very fast and has great recovery. Use this whenever you can, as this is a fast move which can easily interrupt strings. =================================================================== [ P A R T T H R E E ] =================================================================== ------------------------------ [10. vs. character strategies] ------------------------------ By reading other FAQ's, the writers all say that there's no easy character to face. Trust me on that. I'm not superimposing my beliefs here: there's more than one way to skin a cat. This section will show you how I fight other players, my observations and personal experiences. Here's a good suggestion to begin with: familiarize yourself with ALL the characters before you do anything. Know their moves (I'm not saying memorize all their moves: just the very important ones), and you will succeed. ALEX/ROGER I play Alex/Roger a lot to consider myself good at it, but I have yet to face an expert who really knows how to play the kangaroo and the alligator... whatever Alex is. Watch out for the Animal Godfist and the Animal Megaton Punch, they hurt a lot. Watch out for those low Ali Kicks and that darned Animal Rush. I can't really give you a lot of info on Alex and Roger as of now, if you do e-mail me. ANGEL/DEVIL Angel and Devil are from the Mishima line, so don't expect an easy fight. You don't really have to watch out for the lasers because they're easy to see coming, so work on your sidestep. Watch out for the SS+2 because that will launch you really high and Angel and Devil have a lot of juggling options. Avoid the usual Mishima moves like Twin Pistons, Wind Godfist, Thunder Godfist, Hell Sweeps, Axe Kicks and Shining Fists as much as possible. Hopefully you can really sharpen your SS game. These two have relatively bad sidesteps so use the Shellshock and Headhunter after you sidestep. Use your basic jabs and your Rising Knee as countering tools. ANNA WILLIAMS Inasmuch as Anna doesn't have Divine Cannon and Blonde Bomb, you wouldn't have that much trouble with Anna as with Nina. But Anna has a lot of quick moves and moves from FC that will really wreck your game, because the Mach Breaker will go under most of Anna's set-ups, so try to use more of the Snake Edge and the Broad Axe. Try to stay out of the Cat Stance because the Cat Kick has a lot of range and it automatically parries low attacks. Anna also has a lot of moves which juggle on CH, and Anna is a very fast character and a really strong juggler. Play defense when you anticipate those moves. ARMOR KING I believe that Armor King is a much more formidable foe to go against than King, because Armor King is much more oriented in strikes than in throws. Beware the Ali Kicks and the Konvict Kick... they are very, very dangerous tools. Don't get hit with the Palm Upper jugglestarter and Crouching Uppercut... Armor King is a very good juggler. Use your df+2 body blow to the point of near abuse and use the WS+3 rising knee to stop Armor King's string attacks. BAEK DOO SAN Baek players use a lot of confusing strings which leave you in a guessing game. Here's where your WS moves and Chains of Misery shine. Use the db block often and use your WS moves, especially WS+2 to Fisherman's Slam. MC his strings with the WS+3 knee and disrupt his Flamingo Stance and slow-executing moves (f,f+3) with your WS+4. Go for juggle opportunities with the WS+1. Avoid the Skyrocket and Hunting Hawk because they will steadily destroy your lifebar. BRUCE IRVIN Bruce players use the 3,2,1,4, 1,2,3 and 1,2,4_d+4 a lot... but since you do know them by now, you should know how to block them. Play a little defense because Bruce will kill you on one CH... just one. Watch out and know the escapes for the multithrow because once it's planted, you'll never get out of it alive. Not good. Most of all, watch out for the Triple Knees because it comes out blazingly fast, has guard break and it has great priority. However,I have played Bruce a lot of times to know one thing: his moves track really bad. That will give you a great window of opportunity for pokes and sidesteps. Use the df+2 and the Mach Breaker to your advantage. BRYAN FURY I really hate Bryan mirror matches because I taught many beginners my tricks: instant WS, sidestepping games, etc. Technically, I face a scrubbier version of my Bryan. If you play against a Bryan scrub (please don't be one!) they would Hands of Doom you all the way to Timbuktu. Your WS game works a lot in this situation because these players won't even know the essence of WS. But if you manage to get your hands in a Bryan expert beware: they would poke you to death with high-mid mixups that you have a thin chance of using the punch parry. Do what they do: poke. It may not be the flashiest thing to do but you have a bigger chance of winning if you connect with good, fast attacks. EDDY GORDO/TIGER JACKSON There are two types of Eddy players: button-mashing idiots and those who really know how to play him. The Button-Mashing Idiot is easy to find anywhere: they are the players in the local arcade who just mash up the 3 and 4 buttons. They are the players who press wildly on the X and O buttons. Basically, beginners. Beware these people because button-mashing CAN cause serious damage. But be more cautious when playing against players who really know how to use Eddy. Watch out for those long legs of his, so use your Low Counter. Watch out for the infinite Armada string. Since Eddy likes hitting low a lot, use your low sweeps and time your Snake Edge. GANRYU This guy is so underrated. Ganryu is surprisingly agile for his size. Watch out for the Megaton Palm and the Megaton Float... especially the Quick Sumo Rush. Watch out for the d+1+2 push because you'll be prone to a backthrow. As far as the Devil Thrusts and the Kabuki Palm goes, you'll have to use the db block if you don't want to eat the whole thing. The Mach Breaker and Vulcan Cannon are your main tools against Ganryu. A word of advice: even if Ganryu is that big, you can't use the Lair's Dance against him. Try to juggle Ganryu if you can: he's easy to hit. GUN JACK Gun Jack is a difficult character to go against if you face a knowledgable foe on the Jack series (I may do an FAQ on the Jacks in a while... just give me time). You can't trade punches with Gun Jack (or any other Jack) because they have a long reach and they have much more powerful punch arts than you. Use poking tactics and the Chains of Misery because Gun Jack is fairly easy to catch. Like any other Jack, try to juggle Gun Jack as much as possible because that's one of the best ways to deal with this powerhouse. Avoid getting hit with the Dive Bomber, and use your speed advantage to do a backthrow. HEIHACHI MISHIMA No matter how much you try, you can't out-juggle Heihachi. He's just way too juggle oriented. While you can't do much while being juggled, avoid the Wind Godfist, Demon Godfist, Twin Pistons and Electric Wind Godfist altogether. Here's where your Punch Parry shines. As far as Heihachi's automatic reversal goes, I wouldn't worry too much about it because he takes damage anyway. Keep enough distance to pull off the Flying Heel Kick. Because Heihachi's moves track really bad and he's relatively slow on execution and recovery, it's easy to MC him with your WS moves. HWOARANG Hwoarang scrubs use the Bird Hunter as their main juggle opportunity. It's very easy to see coming so block it. As far as the 4,4,4,4 Machine Gun Kicks goes, it's easy to block anyway. Watch out for real Hwoarang experts because they'll stay offensive on you and keep you within their range. Breach that range by altering your WS moves to crouchdash or QCF. Those annoying kick strings from Hwoarang comes from Flamingo stances so break those stances if you can. JACK-2 This is my favorite Jack because he's so powerful and surprisingly agile. Watch out for his Punch Arts because they're very powerful. Use poking tactics and throws because Jack-2 is easy to catch. Try to juggle Jack-2 as much as you can because he's the biggest Jack of them all. Lair's Dance and Cremation is fairly safe because he has no high kick reversals. Watch out for those sidestep moves. JIN KAZAMA If you have faced enough Jins in your life this would be an easy fight. Know how to block Three-Ring Circus because that's the favorite move of a lot of Jin players. That also goes for Demon Paw (certainly no Mach Breaker if you asked me), Steel Pedal and Shining Fists, basically those non-CD Mishima moves. Keep some distance away from Jin to compose yourself then do some hit-and-run tactics. For crouchdash-happy players whose psychology revolves around this maneuver, interrupt it with WS+3, or use the Flying Heel Kick, Rolling Driver and Snake Edge. Crouchdash is very, VERY easy to time, so I wouldn't worry about it. Besides, Jin could have been better off without it. Trust me. JULIA CHANG This is my second favorite character after Bryan. Besides those looks, Julia possesses those class 2 juggles. So a hint of advice: stay away from G-Clef Cannon, Rushing Uppercut and Skyscraper Kick. As far as that Dashing Elbow goes, block it. Julia lacks reach so try to stay in her face with your body blows. Use Rush Punches to stay in her face. I believe that a good mix-up to use against Julia is Run For Cover and Bruce Special/Gatling Combo. JUN KAZAMA Despite looking weak and has weak moves, watch out for Jun. I think her Three Ring Circus is far more effective than that of Jin, so avoid it. Jun also has infinite strings so stay out of string range. Jun doesn't have crouch dash moves so don't play Jun as you play Jin. Moves to remember when you're playing against Jun are Snake Slam, Fisherman's Slam and Run for Cover. KAZUYA MISHIMA Kazuya is the Mishima I respect. He's strong, he stuns and he's very effective. Beware the Gutpunch and the usual Mishima moves. Kazuya is the only Mishima I use frequently because I hate memorization. That's a weak spot of Kazuya because he hasn't that many moves and you can easily spot those moves. But believe me, compared to Kazuya's array of stuns, you have far better options. Interrupt those stuns with WS+3 and keep him down with Snake Edge, Broad Axe, and your Mach Breaker and Slash Kick. KING To defeat King, and I can't stress this enough, know the escape of his throws. King is more of a thrower than a striker, so stay out of throw range. The best way to avoid being thrown by King is to use moves which stay out of throw range, like the Mach Breaker, Flying Heel Kick and the Mach Kick. I wouldn't worry too much about King's basic moves but what I would worry about are his unblockables, because you don't see that flash: they don't charge up. Stay out of throw range. Even if it means an opportunity for Chains of Misery, don't do it unless you have the gut instinct to do so. KUMA/PANDA One thing: don't trade punches. Kuma and Panda have long reach and can easily MC your moves. The best thing to do against Kuma and Panda is to stay on the offensive. They don't have much defensive moves so it's fairly safe to pitbull. Whenever you see Kuma and Panda in Hunting Bear Stance (3+4), be cautious with your moves because they are at their strongest at this stance. Like many other big characters, never miss any opportunity to juggle them. KUNIMITSU While not as dangerous as Yoshimitsu, Kunimitsu is so fast and has those teleport moves that let them steer clear of trouble. As far as juggles go, you'll be happy to know that she's easy to juggle, but don't get juggled by Kunimitsu because you'll die. Avoid Kuni's uppercuts because they are at the center of her offensive line, and Kuni is a very offensive character. Kunimitsu has a lot of followups so play 50/50 with offense and defense. FOREST LAW One thing you have to avoid from Law is his combos. They'll kill you, so use your counterattacks wisely. Be quick on your feet because Law can parry anywhere: air, mid, low, high, and they can be linked to juggles. Know the Junkyard Combo because that's a Law favorite. Great moves to use against Forest Law are the Gatling Combo, Snake Edge and Hands of Doom. Stay on the offensive side because you're faster than Law. LEE CHAOLAN Last seen as a Law-Kazuya type character in Tekken 2, Lee has gotten a style of his own this time around. I have played Lee a lot to be convinced that he reeks with finesse and power. Don't be alarmed with those Infinite Kicks and Infinite Punches: they aren't that big a threat to your game. What you should watch out for is the Hitman Stance: that is a very dangerous Lee move. A lot of moves can be executed from that stance that will destroy you in a matter of seconds. Stay out of kick range, unless you want to be at the receiving end of the Laser Edge. Keep Lee at your range, and use the Hands of Doom, Snake Slam and MC his moves with your WS+3 knee. LEI WULONG Lei is very hard to face in the hands of a master. I wouldn't worry too much about those stance arts because Lei, I believe, is more dangerous on normal stance. Lei masters who happen to face Bryans always lie down, so value your low attacks. For Lei's Razor Rush, don't eat the string. Rather, block it and retaliate with Hands of Doom, Bruce Special, or to add insult to injury, Rush Punches. As far as stance players go, I think that it's worth it if you memorize the stance arts per stance, they're so few. Remember that a game with Lei will take a long time, so take that time to your advantage. LING XIAOYU Xiaoyu is at her peak when backturned, so when she is in that familiar BK position, don't rush in. Rather, use a hope-filled Hands of Doom or Wolf Bite, in the hope that the last hit or two will connect. Never attempt to backthrow Xiaoyu because she'll punish you for that. Use ranged moves like the Mach Kick and Flying Heel Kick, but I recommend the Slash Kick because Xiaoyu cannot block backturned, and you can do WR moves or tag-in. MICHELLE CHANG Michelle is a little bit weaker than Julia, but she is, in my eyes, as dangerous as her. Michelle is more capable when it comes to strings so don't allow yourself to be a victim of such. Michelle also uses hit-and-run tactics so stay on the offensive, MC'ing those strings for your own custom strings. Don't get juggled by Michelle: you'll be punished. Stay away from Chang moves such as Dashing Elbow, Skyscraper Kick and Party Crasher. MOKUJIN/TETSUJIN Just know what the hell he/she is and fight him/her the way you would the real one. NINA WILLIAMS Don't expect an easy fight. Anticipate the Divine Cannon and Blonde Bomb. Stay away from juggle range, and that can easily be done by SS moves, especially the Shellshock and Headhunter. One of her most dangerous attributes is that she pokes as well as you do, so us your pokes linked to custom strings. As far as Bad Habit goes, since it's fast it's hard to MC, so you have to use your db block. OGRE Ogre possesses the best moves in all of Tekken. You have to watch out for the Blazing Kick, which has high priority and is a taggable jugglestarter. There's also that f,f+2 unblockable that you have to anticipate. The one thing I recommend to do with Ogre is to use your speed advantage to get as much damage into him, and drain his hit points, which is the highest in the game. That means Mach Breakers, Slash Kicks, Hands of Doom and, if you can, tenstrings. PAUL PHOENIX You have nothing to be afraid of Paul. Just block the Smasher or, even better, use your punch parry. Anticipate his moves because they all track badly. The best thing to do against Paul is to use your own QCF_WS moves: knee, uppercuts, kick, you get the picture. For combo-happy Paul players use your custom strings. Refer to the "Combos" section: there lies a certain Paul killer that I recommend you use. PROTOTYPE JACK You have to alter your strategy here, somewhat. P-Jack is a little bit harder to fight than Gun Jack or Jack-2. Remember to use your punch parry and pokes. Like a Jack, juggle P-Jack whenever you can. However, don't try Lair's Dance because he has a lot of moves from FC. Use the Vulcan Cannon and your WS moves to change the pace of the game against his FC moves. Overall, be more aggressive with P-Jack. TRUE OGRE One thing: don't juggle. True Ogre has a juggle escape so don't do those long juggles. What you should to is concentrate on yor tried-and-true pokes and strings. Don't miss with any okizeme opportunity because he's easy to hit. I believe Broad Axe will even hit when True Ogre is lying down. Don't worry too much about his fire attacks because they're easy to anticipate and evade. WANG JINREI Many people fight Wang as they would fight Julia or Michelle: don't be fooled. The old man is a very powerful fighter so be careful with your moves. However, Wang is very frail, and I mean really frail. Use your Slash Kick, Mach Breaker, Snake Edge, whatever you can dish out to finish off the match quickly. I have yet to meet a real Wang expert so if you happen to be one, e-mail me. YOSHIMITSU I am still learning Yoshimitsu, but I am convinced of this fighter's power. Besides the array of unblockables, Yoshimitsu also has that Lunging Knee and Savior Boot... MC those moves if you can. Also, keep Yoshi at your range, and that's close. Yoshi has long range so stay out of that range using your Snake Edge, Broad Axe, Slash Kick (believe it or not) and Chains of Misery. Never miss out on open opportunities with Yoshi. --------------------------------- [11. tag partners and strategies] --------------------------------- Anyone can beat anyone in Tekken, and anyone can be partners with anyone in Tekken Tag Tournament. Remember that. The important thing is that you should be comfortable with your character. However, there are instances that someone is better than someone when it comes to tagging. So here are my Top 6 recommended tag partners: BRYAN/JULIA This is my favorite offense team, mainly because my Tekken philosophy revolves more around offense. Where Bryan lacks in low attacks, Julia compensates. Where Julia lacks in reach, Bryan compensates. Another reason why I like this team is that they have the two coolest throws in the game: Chains of Misery and Mad Axes. BRYAN/BRUCE This is basically the traditional Bryan combo: pair him with someone who shares the same style. Bruce's main role in this team is to deal raw damage, and Bryan's main role is to deal fast damage. This team is good if the only character you know is Bryan because they share the same basic style. BRYAN/NINA This is my favorite defense team... why not with Bryan's offensive style with Nina's defensive one? These two also possess sways that can be chained to strings. What's good about having Nina as a tag partner is that she has a lot of low attacks. BRYAN/ANY JACK Doesn't matter if it's Gun Jack, Jack-2 or P-Jack. The sole reason for this team is tandem offense. Most any Jack move can be tandemed by Bryan. The Bravo Knuckle (d+1+2) can be a tag jugglestarter, and when Bryan comes off the tag-in, and you press 2, you get an instant Fisherman's Slam... way cool. Another great tandem offensive move is to do one of Bryan's great set-ups and perform any Jack set-up, finishing off with a very cool "infinite" set-up offense. BRYAN/EDDY That's right... Eddy. Unless the Eddy you play is a scrub who revolves around kicks only, don't count this guy in. Eddy is a very strong character with lots of strings, and that is also true with Bryan. The purpose of Bryan here is to deal the raw damage, while Eddy is there for backup. Because Bryan has a lot of moves which stun and juggle, Eddy can finish off those juggles with those strings pronto. BRYAN/OGRE This is my favorite team overall. Why? One thing: balance. Both Bryan and Ogre have a lot of power. Bryan has a speed advantage and is much more oriented with pokes and counterattacks, while Ogre has a power advantage and revolves more around a variety of mid and low attacks and has one-hit wonders. ---------------- [12. psychology] ---------------- A lot of FAQ's don't include psychology. Well, mine (and hopefully future FAQ's... I need your support) includes this section standard. Bryan was never a fun character to begin with: he was designed for players with an intense personality and plays intense games. Well, playing intense games isn't what normal Tekken is all about: that's for tournaments. I play Bryan with a relatively "empty mind:" that means doing it by mere reflex alone. That's what practice does for you. Clear your mind of everything that will impede your performance: that expert Paul player who revolves his game around Smashers, mockery, etc. If you're a beginner, I suggest you read this: YOU CAN DO IT! No matter what character you're playing: Jin, Paul, Eddy, even Bryan... just put your heart in the right place when you're playing and you will succeed. I've been a beginner for two years, mind you, and I have bad records and a lot of games wherein I lost perfectly... you know what I mean. Don't despair: many experts started out like you do, perhaps even worse. Prove that wrong, try to win. Practice a lot: I can't stress that more. Play with a clear head and come to terms with loss, the tide will eventually turn to your favor. Now, if you're an expert, know the value of RESPECT. Mockery leads to mediocrity. Help: that's what we're here for. Share your knowledge by writing an FAQ... maybe not as long as mine. Anyway, we're done with psychology... now for the micropedia itself. ============================================================= [ P A R T F O U R ] ============================================================= ------------ [13. poking] ------------ Definition: Poking is employing using fast-recovering, fast-executing moves to do damage. Types: Offensive Poking: The poke we all know. This is done by chaining fast pokes in order to apply pressure to your opponent. If you faced Kuma, Gun Jack or Ganryu before, you know what this is all about. Another purpose of this move is counterhit, because there's not a chance of retaliation because most players refuse to counterattack Bryan's pokes: there's just no chance of it. You will have a frame advantage with offensive poking: trust me. Examples: 1/2/1,2/3,2/d+1/df+1/df+2/d+3/d+4 Interrupt: Interrupting is important if you want to connect your hits on counterhit. This is basically sneaking in your pokes on one's attacks in order to stop those attacks from coming. This poke is mainly used against tenstrings and combos with a noticeable lag-time. Examples: 1/2/4/d+4/df+2/d+3 Defensive Poking: This is a poking tactic used to keep your opponent within your range. These pokes are mainly used against close-range fighters and those who use the QCF or crouchdash motion. This kind of poke stops that movement while you set up your own attacks. Examples: uf+3/4/b+2 Set-up: This is a poke which uses fast pokes to connect or set-up a possible juggle, powermove, throw or combo without much fear of retaliation. Examples: 1/2/1,2/d+1/df+2/d+3/d+4 -------------- [14. blocking] -------------- Definition: Blocking is the primary form of defense. It is done by keeping your guard during an attack. Here's an analogy that you should know by now. If you don't know how to block, you don't know how to play. If you don't know how to play, don't play. However, if you want to learn how to block, you want to learn how to play. If you want to learn how to play, know how to block. There are two types of blocking: Active Guard and Neutral Guard. Types: Neutral Guard: also known as automatic guard. By just standing there (keeping your D-pad or joystick in neutral position) you block three attacks: high, mid and special mid. That's a fine block, though I'm telling you that you won't survive for long. If your opponent sets up a low attack, even one as simple as a d+3, you will eat the entire string. This block is also unreliable against guardbreakers like Anna and Nina. Overall, the Neutral Guard is a good block, but it isn't good enough. Active Guard: This is the block wherein you manipulate your D-pad or joystick into two positions, b and d/b, to defend yourself against attacks. This is the block used by pros and high-level players, and so should you. This block defends against all kinds of attacks, be it high, mid, special mid or low. I'm not suggesting that you stay in this position for very long because you'll look like a fool. The best thing about the d/b form of the active guard is that it can be buffered into a sway. You'll also need to know the hit-ranges for moves. Here's the five types of hit ranges and a simple description of what they do. They also have examples, so enjoy. High: attacks which can be blocked by standing and avoided by ducking. [Bryan's f,f+2, Hwoarang's 3,3,3,3, Jin's f,N,d,df+2, Law's 1,1,1,1,1] Mid: attacks which can be blocked standing but cannot be avoided by ducking. [Paul's qcf+2, Bruce's b+4,3,4, Ganryu's b,db,d,DF+2, Yoshimitsu's f,f+3+4] Special Mid: attacks which will hit a crouching or standing opponent but can be blocked standing or crouching, or lowparried. [Kazuya's f,N,d,df+2, Alex's df+3+4, Nina's 1+2] Low: attacks which will hit a standing opponent or an opponent lying down on the ground and can only be blocked crouching, but unblockable when lying down. [Wang's SS+4, Ogre's FC+3,3,d+3, Anna's df+3+4, Heihachi's f,N,d,df+4,4,4] ------------ [15. throws] ------------ Though throws deal humongous damage on one sitting, they should remain as a secondary way to deal damage, well, unless you're King. However, you should still incorporate throws in your game because they guarantee damage and they make the game a little easier to handle, especially on high level play. Now I'm not saying you throw all the time because you just can't: you only have three front throws, two side throws and one back throw... that's just not enough. But throws can only be escaped during set-up, not execution, so that's good. Bryan is not a throw-oriented character. His basic front and side throws deal average damage at most, and besides a different animation for those throws he doesn't differ much from other characters when it comes to grappling. However, he does have two great throws: his backthrow, which upon tag-in cannot be techrolled and is easy to set-up, and his Chains of Misery which is, IMO, the coolest single throw in the game. Throwing, to most novices, is just grab your opponent, hope he won't escape and wait for the next opportunity. That's not totally wrong. Sure, you can throw without timing but that's not the way to go. Throwing means more than taking your opponent in a throw and hope for the best. Throwing requires two things: proper timing and proper choice. Proper Timing: Often, players throw because they feel like it. Bad idea. Never throw just because gut instinct tells you so. Throw only when the situation calls for throwing... and sadly, there are only a few moments where your throw will pay off. That counts (1) slow-recovering whiffed moves wherein the player whiffs within throw range, (2) slow-recovering blocked moves wherein the player recovers within throw range, (3) if the player attacks within throw range and he attacks slow enough to permit a throw, etc. Proper Choice: Choose the right throw for the job. Just because the Chains of Misery deals a lot of damage, it doesn't mean that it should be the throw you use throughout the whole game. For example, the DDT will open a window of okizeme but will close a window for you to gain a little bit of breathing room, but the Brainbuster, though closing the window of okizeme, will help you gain breathing room for you to set up a powermove or unblockable upon your opponent's recovery from that throw. ------------------------- [16. dashing and swaying] ------------------------- 16.1. Rolldashing Rolldashing, also known as QCF, is a way to move quickly when you're another character, but is a way to perform WS moves when it comes to Bryan. The rolldash differs from the crouchdash in two ways: one, rolldash has a little bit less range than the crouchdash, and two, there rolldash executes faster than crouchdash. 16.2. Crouchdashing Crouchdashing, noted as f,N,d,df, is a way to move a great distance to execute a move. Bryan has no moves which comes from crouchdash, but if you want to move to somewhere where running is not an option, forward-dashing is dangerous and rolldashing has not enough range, use this movement. Though Bryan doesn't have crouchdash moves, this move can be buffered. 16.3. Dashing Dashing is Bryan's specialty, because a lot of his powermoves begin with this movement. Dashing is done by tapping f twice, so as to simulate the movement of a quick step forward. Dashing is very different from running because you move only a slight distance. Remember that you shouldn't take too long in your dashes because: (1) taking too long in dashing causes predictability, and (2) taking too long in dashing will always lead to a running motion. 16.4. Backdashing Backdashing is done by tapping b twice, so as to simulate the movement of a quick step backward. Backdashing is getting more and more important in high level play because this allows enough room to counter with a dash move after a blocked move, failed throw attempts, etc. 16.5. Swaying Swaying, also known as QCB, can only be done by Bryan, Nina and Paul. This move goes under high attacks, and a lot of moves can be executed off the sway. The default attack of the sway is the QCB+2, but a lot of moves can be linked off the sway, practically every move which begins with a dash or a forward movement. Though Bryan's sway doesn't autoblock low attacks like that of Nina, Bryan has the most versatile, the fastest and probably the most effective sway of them all. ------------- [17. okizeme] ------------- Okizeme, loosely translated, is the art of hitting your opponent while he's on the ground. So what? Okizeme is just like juggling, only with your options reduced by at least half. Okizeme is done by using low attacks on a grounded opponent. Bryan doesn't have that many options when it comes to okizeme purposes because he doesn't have a lot of low attacks to begin with. But he does have enough moves in his arsenal to make with a good okizeme game. Besides the low kicks, he also has the Snake Edge sweep, though it isn't really a good okizeme move because it is slow. Generally, your best okizeme tools are your low kicks because they are a lot faster. When opponent is playing dead: In high level play, you wouldn't encounter this as much. If you're playing against a character who doesn't have any play-dead moves, okizeme opportunities are pretty much safe. Use either leg for shin kicks or low kicks. If you manage to take on enough distance, use the Snake Edge or use fast combos which end on a low hit, like Gatling Combo (the forward momentum should be enough to bring you toward the opponent). If the distance is not that big, and you're not in high level play, use Northern Lights. Opponent is rolling TOWARD you: When your opponent is rolling TOWARDS you, that can only mean that he or she would do the cross chop. Instead of blocking it altogether, try using the Slash Kick... time it right because this will be the only chance you'll get for tumble knockback during okizeme (cool, huh?). If you don't feel like it, interrupt the rolling motion by using low kicks. Opponent is rolling AWAY from you: This requires anticipation, God's grace and a lot of good luck. Work on your rolldash so that you can use your WS moves as okizeme. No, I'm not kidding. This is one of the best ways to deal max damage in okizeme. Opponent is Nina or Lei: I have an exception when it comes to these two characters because they can attack lying down. The trick here is to play safe: that means acquiring distance. Try to use the Snake Edge if you are in the proper distance: if they manage to stand up theres a 75% chance they'll get juggled floating. ------------------ [18. sidestepping] ------------------ Sidestepping is the second form of defense. This move is executed by tapping up or down once or twice so as to simulate the movement of a quick step left or right. Bryan may not have the wide sidesteps of Nina or King, but he has the best game off a sidestep. His sidestep covers enough range to evade an unblockable or to avoid a powermove, while having three excellent moves off a sidestep: SS+1, SS+2, SS+1+2. But sidesteps shouldn't be done just because you want to set-up the Headhunter, no. You'll be easier to track that way. The important thing about sidestepping is anticipating your opponent's next move. If you have trouble sidestepping, try these: Follow the limb: If you will get attacked by a move from the left limb, sidestep left. If you will get attacked by a move from the right limb, sidestep right. Sidestep only with the proper distance: If you sidestep too close to your opponent, you will eat the move you have wanted to sidestep anyway. Sidestep with your opponent: If your opponent sidesteps left, sidestep left. If your opponent sidesteps right, sidestep right. That way, you wouldn't eat his or her sidestep move. If the sidestep move has a long range, buffer your sidestep with a sway. Do not sidestep moves with horizontal movement: Paul's d+4,2, Ogre's 4, Lei's db+4, Jacks' f+1+2, Bruce's f,f+3 shouldn't be sidestepped at all because they will hit you. --------------- [19. buffering] --------------- You may have heard the term "buffering" all around this FAQ. Buffering is a tactic used to mix up moves, as in poking, but is more advanced. In my book, there are two kinds of buffering: buffering and chicken. 18.1. Buffering Buffering is done in three ways: through dashing, crouching and cancelling. Here are examples of dash buffering: f,f+2 ==> d,df,f,f+2 or QCF+2 f,N,d,df,f,f+2 or CD+2 f,f+3 ==> d,df,f,f+3 or QCF+3 f,N,d,df,f,f+3 or CD+3 f,f+4 ==> d,df,f,f+4 or QCF+4 f,N,d,df,f,f+4 or CD+4 Simple enough. There's the application of rolldash and crouchdash. If you are within rolldash distance, you can use the rolldash. If you are within crouchdash distance, you can use the crouchdash. There are also dash buffering techniques for sways and backdash. b,b+4 ==> d,db,b,b+4 b+2,1,2 ==> d,db,b,b+2,1,2 b+2,1,4 ==> d,db,b,b+4,1,4 Rolldash or crouchdash buffering can also be used in the Chains of Misery throw: FC,d,df,d,df+1+2 ==> d,df,f,df,f+1+2 or QCF+df,f+1+2 f,N,d,df,f,df,f+1+2 or CD+df,f+1+2 Crouch buffering is performed by cancelling moves that either begin or end in crouch position. A lot of moves in Tekken have this property, from the simple d+1 jab to Anna's FC(u_u/f_u/b)+4 flipkick. Here are examples of crouch buffering: d+1 (hold 1) df,d,df+2 ==> low jab buffered to Chains of Misery u,ub,b,db,d,df+1+2 ==> jump buffered to Chains of Misery d+1+3 (hold 1) df,d,df+2 ==> lowparry buffered to Chains of Misery Buffering through cancellation is done by cancelling single-button attacks with double button attacks. Here are examples of cancellation: 1,4 to f+1+4 ==> 1 (hold 4),f+1 1 to 1+3 ==> 1 (hold 1),3 df+2 to 2+4 ==> df+2 (hold 2),4 19.2. Chicken This deserves a section of its own, but I am no chicken master because my opponents do not reverse. Chickening is a method of reversing a reversal through buffering. There are two chicken moves: f+1+3 and f+2+4. Say you try to hit your df+2 body blow in preparation for a great poking game. You get reversed by a mid-reversal... but that's not the end of the world. Chickens are a pain to time, but it's fairly easy to bait them to chicken. What you do is reverse that reversal to f+2+4. Chicken the reversed limb: if they reverse your 2, use the f+2+4. If they reverse your 1, use the f+1+3. ------------------------ [20. combos and juggles] ------------------------ I borrowed the combo list from Renick's Bryan FAQ. qcf_ws+1:b+3,2,1;f,f+2 qcf_ws+1;b+3;1,2;f,f+2 qcf_ws+1;f+4;3,3 qcf_ws+1;d+2;b+3,4 qcf_ws+1;f+4,1,2;f,f+4 qcf_ws+1;d+2;F~1;f,f+2 qcf_ws+1;b+3,2,1;b+1 qcf_ws+1;1;b+2,1>2_4 qcf_ws+1;b+3;1~4,3,3 qcf_ws+1;b+2,1;1;f,f+2 b+2,1(CH);2;3,3 b+2,1(CH);1,2;f,f+2 b+2,1(CH);1,2,1;b+1 b+2,1(CH);1;f+4,3,4 b+2,1(CH);1;df+1,2 b+2,1(CH);df+1;1~4;f,f+2(big) b+2,1(CH);QCF+3,1,f,f+2 b+1;d+2,1~4,3,3 b+1;1+3+4~f;1;f,f+4 b+1;1+3+4~b;1,2;f,f+2 b+1;1,2,1;f,f+2 b+1;2;b+2,1>2_4 b+1;d+2;1,2;f,f+2 b+1;f+4;d+2;1;df+2 b+1;1~4,f,f+2 b+1;1;3,3;f,f+2 (credit goes to aviax for this one b+1;d+2;b+3,4 b+1;1;d+2;f,f+2 df+3;1,2;f,f+2 df+3;d+1;ws+3;d+3+4 df+3;ws+3;1;f,f+2 df+3;d+2;ws+3,4 df+3;ws+1+2;1,2;f,f+2 df+3;ws+3;1~4 QCB+2;1~4,3,3 QCB+2;d+1;ws+3 QCB+2;2;f,f+2 QCB+2;2;3,3 QCB+2;1;f,f+4 QCB+2;2;db+2;d+3 QCB+2;1~4;f,f+2 QCB+2;2;b+3,4 QCB+2;2;1~4,3,3 qcf_ws+2(f+2);2;f,f+4 qcf_ws+2(f+2);1~4(3)3 qcf_ws+2(f+2);b+2,1,2_4 qcf_ws+2(f+2);f+4(3)4 qcf_ws+2(f+2);1~4;f,f+2 uf+4;d+2;f+4,3,4 uf+4;d+2;1;f,f+2 uf+4;2;1~4,3,3 uf+4;1,2;f,f+4 uf+4;d+2;df+1,2 uf+4;d+2;d+2;1~4,3,3 uf+4;1,2,1;f,f+2 uf,N+4;b+3;1,2;f,f+2 uf,N+4;1,2,1,f,f+2 uf,N+4;1;f+4,3 uf,N+4;b+2,1,2_4 uf,N+4;2;3,3 WS+3(ch);instant ws+1;b+3,2,1;f,f+2 WS+3(ch);instant ws+1;b+3;N~f~2;f,f+2 WS+3(ch);instant ws+1;b+3;f~1~4,(3),3 WS+3(ch);b+1;d+2;1,2;f,f+2 WS+3(ch);b+1;1;d+2;f~,1~4,3,3 WS+3(ch);uf+4;df+2;f+4,3,4 WS+3(ch);uf+3;1;f,f+2 WS+3(ch);uf+3;1,2,(1),2 WS+3(ch);instant ws+2~f+2;b+2,1,4 WS+3(ch);QCB+2;1~4;f,f+2(hard) WS+3(ch);QCB+2;2;1~4,3,3 Number of combo’s listed: 72 Here are some combo's that are displayed with courtesy by Reverend C: b+1: 1,d+2, 1,4 d+2, 1,4,(3),3 WS+1: b+2,1,4 WS+2~f+2: 1,4,(3),3 df+3: WS+3, 1,4 WS+3, 1,(2),1,4 uf+4: 1,d+2, 1,4 d+2, f+4,3,4 QCB+2_UF,n+4: b+2,1,4 d+2, 1,4,(3),3 The following combo's are sent by devil demunyu (lord_devildemunyu@hotmail.com): b+1: db+2, db+2, 1,4,(3),3 db+2, db+2, f+4,3 db+2, f+4,3,4 uf+4: db+2, db+2, 1,4,(3),3 db+2, db+2, f+4,3 db+2, f+4,3,4 -------------------- [21. custom strings] -------------------- Here are my favorite custom strings. They're not a lot (just 10) because they're favorites, but hey, you can get all the custom strings you want from other FAQs. df+2;4 ==> f+1+4 df+2;4 ==> f,f+4 df+2,b+2 ==> qcf+1 df+2;2;df+1;qcf+2 ==> f+2 qcf_ws+3;b+2,1 ==> b+2,1,4 qcf_ws+3;4; ==> f,f+4 1;df+1;df+3;ws+3 ==> df+3 b+2,1;b+2,1 ==> 1+2 b+2,1;b+2,1 ==> f+1+4 df+1;ws+3 ==> 3,2,1,4 ============================================================= [ P A R T F I V E ] ============================================================= ----------------------------- [22. putting it all together] ----------------------------- 1. Bryan can be used by experts, advanced users, novices and beginners. 2. Bryan is strongest at his combos. 3. Any character can defeat any character and any character can be partnered with any character. 4. It is completely necessary to use pokes. 5. Chains of Misery is the coolest throw in the game. 6. Play Bryan Fury. ---------------------- [23. tekken resources] ---------------------- It took an awfully long time to complete this FAQ, so here are the places where I got my stuff: Tekken Zaibatsu: the best Tekken site out there. Comes complete with FAQ's, movelists, frame data, character profiles and cool stuff. (www.tekkenzaibatsu.com) Game FAQ's: lots of Tekken FAQ's. (www.gamefaqs.com) ------------ [24. thanks] ------------ "PM" for his great Julia-Michelle guide which I used as a format for my guide. "Renick" and "Phate" for their Bryan guides which give a lot of needed info. "Reverend C" and "devil demanyu" for their combos and such. "Castel" for the Tekken Zaibatsu site. "Catlord" for his movelists and Tekken psychology. Namco for Tekken. "Ponkan" for showing me some cool stuff with Bryan and annoying me with Yoshimitsu. "Shogun" for giving me some real run for my money with his Kazuya, Jin, Jun and Heihachi. "Pepe" for his Paul usage (quit with the Smasher, you scrub!). "Choking Hazard" for his King multithrows and Hwoarang tricks. "Fine Arts" for teaching me how to use Julia and providing me with warranted info. YOU... FOR READING THIS GUIDE ===============================================================================================