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• Creator ………: Hans Kreissack
• Creation Date …: November 10, 2078
• Special Abilities: Rising Blade, Head Stomp, Razor Spin

Often advertised as “The Ultimate Weapon”, Katana is nothing more than deadly force. Using monofilament blades for hands, this unit can carve through a five-meter-thick wall of solid lead in less than ten seconds. Behind the blades are two very strong legs which allow the Katana to perform some amazing offensive maneuvers.

The Katana can jump, extending one arm upward, high enough to knock airplanes out of the sky. It can use its powerful legs to stomp on an enemy. It can also leap towards a wall, then use the force of the rebound to turn itself into a spinning mass of sharp steel.

Definitely one of the most enjoyable 'bots to play with, the Katana has a well rounded variety of basic Attacks and Special Moves, the latter of which, when used properly, can madden your human opponents to the point of less than tasteful dialogue. With some very strong attacks and a good assortment of possible combos, the Katana is about the most well rounded 'bot to use. Once again, for those of you who might occasionally get stuck against a computer opponent, I've found a couple of useful AI loopholes to get you through those tight Tournament matches.

All-rounded bot without any clear weaknesses. First things first, Rising Blade is probably the single best attack in the game, use it, learn it, abuse it, and wreck anything the opponent throws at you with it. Many good basic attacks, two of them even pushes you forward so are good if you can implement them into combos. The other specials are more limited, Head-Stomp can be useful for surprise, and the Razor-Spin's best use is to cancel it out into another jumping attack for different types of mobility. It is one of the bots with the most diverse amount of ways to approach an opponent, and will generally try to bait the opponent into slipping the guard to punish, or if the opponent makes a predictable attack punish with Rising Blade.

You can do a whole lot of damage by repeatedly head-stomp an AI in the corner, they almost never block, and can't figure out how to get away. AI will also never predict a Rising Blade, so you can punish them with abandon. They do block the sliding DBK more than you would hope.

Katana vs human is mind game, and he who slips first suffers. Generally the Rising Blade (again) is the near perfect counter move against anything the opponent throws at you, making jump attacks almost useless against a Katana player. If the Katana can predict the move that comes, it can Rising Blade it. Against a good defense, the Katana have trouble cracking the block unless the opponent screws up.

• Arm Power: 7
• Arm Speed: 8
• Leg Power: 8
• Leg Speed: 9
• Armor….: 9
• Stun Res.: 7

• Enhancement 1:
  • Four-Hit Shadow Rising Blade
• Enhancement 2:
  • Five-Hit Shadow Rising Blade
• Enhancement 3:
  • Fireball move (Same as Fire secret character in 1player, note below)

• Enhancement 1:
  • Steel Claw : North American Open
  • Bethany : War Invitational
• Enhancement 2:
  • Selenna : Katushai Challenge
  • Iceman : World Championship
  • Nicoli : World Championship
  • Bethany : World Championship
• Enhancement 3:
  • -Not Available in the original 4 Tournaments-

• Rising Blade…….: 2-3-6+P (Invincible frames on startup)
• Shadow Rising Blade: 4-1-2-3-6+P (Invincible frames on startup)
• Head Stomp………: (jump) 2+K
• Forward Razor Spin.: 2-3-6+K
• Backward Razor Spin: 2-1-4+K
• Fireball (*)…….: 2-1-4+P (This move only possible to get through custom tournaments, 3rd Enhancement)
• Scrap…………..: 6-3-2-1-4+P
• Destruction……..: 4-1-2-3-6+P
• Fire&Ice………..: 4-1-2-3-6+K

?

Bad:

• ?

Good:

• ?

This assumes default setting with Rehit mode on.

• JK, 3P, 4P, Rising Blade (Gotta check if that works?)

Rising Blade puts Katana in the running, but the rest of his arsenal gets him all the way to the top. He's a beast at close range, versatile in the air, and the absolute best at defense. In fact, Katana has so many options that the only way to beat him is to stay at arm's reach and force him into using the Blade at the wrong time. This FAQ includes a special “Rising Blade Juggles” section so you'll know how to combo after the game's best move.

MOVE NAME           | COMMAND     | DMG.       | TYPE
--------------------+-------------+------------+--------------------------
Jump Punch          | (air) P     | 10.5       | Medium Jump
Jump Kick           | (air) K     | 12.5       | Medium Jump
Jab                 | f+P         | 4          | Light AR
Strong              | P           | 4          | Medium AR
Fierce              | b+P         | 17.5       | Heavy
Short               | f+K         | 6          | Light AR
Forward             | K           | 11         | Medium AR
Roundhouse          | b+K         | 16         | Light KD
Low Jab             | df+P        | 6          | Light AR
Low Strong          | d+P         | 11         | Medium AR
Low Fierce          | db+P        | 15         | Medium
Low Short           | df+K        | 6          | Low
Low Forward         | d+K         | 11         | Low
Slide               | db+K        | 15         | Low KD
Rising Blade        | qcf+P       | 12+4.8     | Medium AR (KD on 2nd hit)
Shadow Rising Blade | hcf+P       | 12+4.8+4.8 | Medium (KD on last hit)
Air Rising Blade    | (air) qcf+P | 12+4.8     | Medium E0 (KD on 2nd hit)
Forward Razor Spin  | qcf+K       | 11         | #1
Back Razor Spin     | qcb+K       | 11         | #1
Head Stomp          | (air) d+K   | 15         | Light AR
Fireball            | d,db,b+P    | 17.5       | Heavy E3
Volley Ball Set     | (close) f+P | 25         | Light Throw

Scrap: hcb+P Destruction: hcf+P during 1st hit Fire & Ice: hcf+K during 2nd hit

#1: Starts with normal jump situation, continues with Medium Jump, rebounds on hit or block; if the rebound hits a wall, it starts another attack. Can be controlled forward or back with the arrow keys.

Notes: The Rising Blade (all versions) is invincible during execution. The first 2 enhancements add a hit to the Shadow Rising Blade.

Stats: Forward Speed: 4.2 Back Speed: 3.6 Jump Speed: 12.5 Fall Speed: 0.88 Armor: 100 Stun Res: 27.5

f+P: Jab. Katana does a quick uppercut motion. Hits so high it's difficult to hit anyone except as anti-air, meaning it makes good bait against opponents who haven't yet learned to fear the Rising Blade, and good setup for a throw against opponents who are too cautious of the Blade.

P: Strong. The usual carbon copy of his jab. More useful in air combos since Katana's jab tends to juggle so high it lets the opponent recover, but otherwise just a slower version of a move only useful for its speed.

b+P: Fierce. Katana punches straight forward, with his blade sideways, meaning this move is not only slow but easily ducked and punished. However, it chains into df+P or a Blade very reliably, if you're ever in a situation where you're sure it won't whiff.

f+K: Short. Katana kicks the opponent's knees. Slow for a short kick, but has just as much priority. Throw 'em out when you think you're being baited into throwing a Rising Blade, as it's totally safe.

K: Forward. The usual copy of short, but short was already slow, so this actually isn't very good except in combos. Katana has much better pokes.

b+K: Roundhouse. Katana steps forward and kicks in an arc from his head down. This move does everything if you know how to use it. Up close, it's a fast knockdown that makes a good tick throw. At medium range, it juggles and has surprising priority, while getting Katana into the close-range environment where he thrives. It's not safe on startup, but it's safe when blocked, so it does best against an opponent already wary of random Blades. Also great in air combos, for obvious reasons.

df+P: Low jab. Very ordinary, except that it combos into Rising Blade. Katana doesn't need the speed (as his low short is just as fast and the Blade is even faster) but the impeccable safety and the damage potential when comboed make it useful anyhow. Plus, it has more range than most of Katana's moves.

d+P: Low strong. Same as low jab but slower. Again, use only in combos, where it chains into low jab or Rising Blade.

db+P: Low fierce. Katana does a one-bladed uppercut that's powerful and fast, but like most such moves in OMF, you're actually at a disadvantage when it hits. Get around this weakness by using it as anti-air, in air combos, or by hitting with it while Katana's arm is on its way back down. If you do this last option, it'll combo into b+P for huge combos, and it's totally safe. Of course, you can't just wait for an opponent to get up into your move (they can throw you out of it), so play around, use it as a fake, etc.

df+K: Low short. Decent, but has very little range. However, it does combo into Blade if you're quick enough to do it, making it very infuriating for your opponent. However, low jab is usually better for this purpose, as opponents tend to duck against Katana often.

d+K: Low forward. Same as low short, but worse. Useful only as a combo starter, to chain into low strong.

db+K: Slide. Katana sticks one leg way out and slides very quickly across most of the screen. It'll beat almost anything, but leaves you horribly open if it doesn't hit. It's also quite fast, and hits with his oustretched blade as well, so standard mid-hitting moves may not do well against it. Use to punish something from long range or as your ace in the hole in footsies. Beware of pokes with a very long range (Electra, Pyros, Nova) which can beat it.

qcf+P: Rising Blade. Best move in the game, hands down. Also known as the Corkscrew Blade, Katana slashes with one blade, spins around and uppercuts. It starts in 2 frames, making it Katana's fastest attack; it has surprising range and combos into the second hit about 95% of the time; and it's totally invincible from the time it starts hitting until the time it finishes the second hit. It's not safe when blocked, but that doesn't mean you can't abuse it. It goes through fireballs, through pokes, through hazards, everything. It juggles under certain conditions, it combos from almost anything. After they get Bladed a few times, your opponent will actually be afraid to stick out a limb for fear he'll get shot down. That's when you can start abusing your slower moves like roundhouse, move in for a throw, or jump in.

hcf+P: Shadow Rising Blade. Most shadow moves outshine their normal counterparts, but Shadow Rising Blade (which adds another spinning slash after the first hit) simply has too much recovery. Use in ground combos when you can't juggle with the normal Rising Blade.

qcf/qcb+K: Razor Spin. Katana jumps to the wall you indicate and rebounds with a fast, arcing spin that has lots of priority and can be controlled with the arrow keys. If it hits, it rebounds; if it rebounds to a wall, it starts another Razor Spin. While Katana is fully in jumping-to-a-wall mode, he can cancel the Razor Spin into any jumping move. Razor Spin is extremely fast, and a great way to run away (qcb+K,K to jumpkick backwards into the opposite wall, or just do a Spin holding back). The forward Razor Spin is, ironically, good with low-agility pilots as a fast low jump and good with high-agility pilots as a way to sail over the opponent's head or catch people who jump backwards. Impatient opponents will try to beat Razor Spin in the air, which usually doesn't work. Smarter opponents will walk under you, take one hit, and punish you as you slowly rebound into them.

(close) f+P: Throw. Katana holds the opponent up and uppercuts. Provides lots of juicy combo opportunities. Katana's overall damage potential is low when he's not using a throw (I know I just said all his stuff is good in combos, but they're not huge combos), so you'll want to make this a constant menace. When they try to dissuade you from throwing by throwing out a jab/short, Blade it and laugh.

qcb+P: Fireball. Third enhancement only. Katana rears back and throws a copy of the Fire Pit's fireball straight forward at chest level. Some bots can duck or low short under it. Extremely fast, does loads of damage, and basically makes Katana even more amazing than he already was. Knocks way back and causes a wall hit to reset the fireball-throwing antics.

P: Katana goes horizontal and sticks one blade forward. Decent air-to-air, especially considering it's safer than the air Blade. Also good for going completely over an opponent (fake crossup). Emphatically not recommended for trying to hit anything below you, except Pyros or Nova.

K: This unassuming jumpkick actually has good range and priority, making it one of the game's better jump-ins. Use early to beat anti-airs, or late to start one of Katana's variety of ground combos.

d+K: Head Stomp. Katana stomps directly downward with one leg. Good priority but awkward to hit with, but it puts you in a normal jumping state when it finishes, so it's theoretically safe. Chains into itself up to four times, but if you miss with the last one, expect to get punished, hard. An odd move.

qcf+P: Air Rising Blade. (See the Rising Blade section.) As air-to-air, this move is a last resort, as it will only hit once and so the opponent actually lands before you do, able to punish. As a jump-in, however, it's godlike, because it pushes you upward on frame 4 and starts hitting on frame 2, meaning you have a short but useable window where you can jump in with the first hit and land, immediately cancelling the Rising Blade. If the opponent was planning to wait and anti-air at the last minute, they can't, because the Rising Blade beats it and starts a ground combo of your choice. If they just decided to block, you have plenty of room to walk up and get close before they get out of blockstun. The threat of a deep Rising Blade is so great that most opponents will try to anti-air you early in your jump so you can't use it. When that happens, you can Rising Blade from a little higher up, making it hit twice and possibly juggle, or you can switch to a different jump attack. The Blade helps as both offense and defense from anti-airs.

Instant Kill Combo (wall, close) f+P → b+K → db+P → df+P → qcf+P. Repeat. Against most opponents you can use db+K instead of df+P → qcf+P.

Most Powerful Ground Combo K → d+K → d+P → hcf+P Against thinner bots, add df+P after d+P and omit K.

Meaty Moves db+P (late) → b+P b+P (late) → b+P b+K (late) → air juggle db+K (late) → air juggle (air, late) qcf+P → 2nd hit immediately cancelled

Chain Combos / Links P → f+P f+P → f+P d/df+P → d/df+P df+P → P/f+P (close) df+P → b+K b+P → df+P f+K → K/f+K K → df+K d/df+K → df+K d+K → d/df+P qcb+P → df+P f+P, df+P, d+P, df+K, d+K, b+P, qcb+P → qcf/hcf+P

(See below, Rising Blade Juggles, for what to do after a Rising Blade in any of these combos.)

* (air) K → b+P → df+P → qcf+P Easy jumpkick combo. Depending on range, either omit df+P, add df+P, or switch b+P for d+K → d+P. If you aren't able to juggle after qcf+P, do hcf+P instead.

* (wall, close) f+P → b+K → db+P → qcf+P Standard wall throw combo. Against a fast pilot, add f+K before b+K; against a slow one, add P before b+K and walk forward f+K after it.

* (air) K → b+P x3 → hcf+P Standard tourny mode combo. It's usually harder to juggle after Rising Blade, so the shadow version is your best bet.

* (air) K → qcf+P → db+P → b+K → P → b+P Tourny mode juggle combo. If you're close with qcf+P, you don't need the jump- kick.

* (wall, late) b+K → db+P → qcf+P Another “improbable” combo, this requires you to hit later in the b+K animation the slower your pilot is. For example, Ibrahim must hit in the last couple animation frames to pull this off, but Crystal can hit at any time while the leg is going down. The qcf+P (one hit only, since it's Rehit Mode) hits almost instantly, so there's no chance to recover except possibly after the last hit. Without a wall, simply omit the crouching fierce.

* (close) qcb+P → df+P → hcf+P Fireball actually can be comboed out of! Yay!

* (close) f+P → uf,d+K → qcf+P Only against fast opponents, and may require a fast pilot as well. Very stylish, and more powerful than most of Katana's options against fast pilots. However, you recover close to your opponent, and barely in time to outprioritize their throw, so be forewarned.

The moves that can be used to start a juggle after a ground hit with both hits of the Rising Blade (“RB”) depend on both pilots' agility, as well as the fall speed of the opponent's bot. Katana's fastest move is RB, with low jab and low short coming in second. Low jab is generally better for starting juggles at any range, while low short is better when position is not an issue. I decided not to add a third column of “Roundhouse Hits”, because a combo from a jab is almost always enough to set up a corner throw combo for the kill anyway.

All calculations were made in two-player mode versus Milano in a Katana. When a bot is listed, all bots which fall at the same or slower speed can be hit by the move. This means that Gargoyle, Pyros, Katana and Flail can always be juggled by Milano/Katana, while Jaguar and Thorn can never be juggled with anything except one hit of a Rising Blade.

Agility RB Hits Jabs Hit [2] Katana Gargoyle [1] Flail Katana High Shadow Flail Medium Chronos Shadow Mid-Low Chronos Shredder Low Electra Chronos None Jaguar Electra

[2]: High pilots using Jean-Paul [1]: High pilots using Crystal High Agility: Crystal, Milano Medium Agility: Jean-Paul, Angel Mid-Low Agility: Steffan, Cossette, Christian Low Agility: Raven No Agility: Shirro, Ibrahim

If you are Crystal instead of Milano, upgrade the opponent one agility class. This means that Crystal/Katana can juggle Raven as if he were a Mid-Low Agility pilot, and Milano as if he were one class above High Agility. If you are a Medium or Mid-Low Agility pilot, upgrade the opponent two agility classes. If you are a Low or No-Agility pilot, switch to a better pilot.

Frame Data Page

HAR's: Jaguar, Shadow, Thorn, Pyros, Electra, Katana, Shredder, Flail, Gargoyle, Chronos, Nova