Introduction
Mr. Karate... He was a boss in the first Art of Fighting game for those who don't know, and in the second game, it was revealed that he was Takuma Sakazaki(Ryo and Yuri's father) indeed, but we don't have any Takuma here(I mean, he claims that he isn't Takuma). He is nice in this game, because Takuma + Mask + Big nose = An overpowered fighter(He only fights for real inside of that mask, and remember that we have that "Serious Mr. karate" in this game). Now for his good and bad things.
Taku...Mr. Karate's Good and Bad Things
Good Things:
- Easy to play and learn(Can be one of the easiest to learn);
- Has a fast projectile;
- His dashes are fast;
- He got a DP(Takuma got a DP, thank you, SNK!);
- He still has that running grab(It's really important to him);
- No invisible projectile(That's really nice);
- Exceed can be charged.
Bad Things:
- No Ryuuko Ranbu(Ryo can use this move, and his master cannot? Thanks, Snk. Takuma could use it in his KoF versions.);
- His Command Moves aren't so good in combos(I mean, when you use them after a normal);
- His Supers cannot combo after most of his Normal/Command Moves;
- Can't even do good combos in MAXIMUM Mode(His bad things on him are only his very limited combo options, but without that, he is a great character).
Moves List
Normal Moves
Those guys below should be important to you, because a game isn't made only by Special Moves and combos, right?
s.LP - (Close) This is a nice move to use in his short combos. Can be cancelable, can't whiff on those low crouching chars(Unlike other cl.LPs in this game), and can even chain into itself. It's his best starter for light attack combos. (Far) You don't need to use this. It's the opposite of the above, but with better reach.
s.LK - (Close) Can be used as a light attack combo starter, but it's not the best to use. The cl.LP is better, really. (Far) A fast anti-air. It's good to use, but you will most likely forget this because he got a DP.
s.HP - (Close) Fast, and can be used in combos, but... Fighting games aren't made only by combos. You can use it anyway. (Far) Good poke. It's better than the s.LP too. It has a good reach, cannot whiff on low crouching chars, but can't be canceled(But don't worry with that).
s.HK - (Close) Avoid this normal. The cl.HP is better than this move. It can be used as an anti-air, but it's risky to use. (Far) This is a poking move only. It's a little slow compared to the f.HP, but you can use it. Mr. Karate walks a little forward when he performs this move, now it's up to you to choose what is better for him.
j.LP - (Diagonal) Good to use as an air-to-air, or even a jump-in. Only that. (Neutral) Avoid. It has almost no reach, and I don't really know if it's useful(I'll need to see its hitbox later).
j.LK - (Diagonal) Good jump-in. You can even crossup with this. It's not that hard to combo after this move too. (Neutral) A neutral air-to-air move. You can use when you need.
j.HP - The Diagonal and the Neutral versions are the same. This can be his best jump-in. Use it a lot if you want to combo.
j.HK - (Diagonal) His best move for crossup combos(Crossups will help you a lot with Mr. Karate's combos, so master them if you want the combos for you). (Neutral) A fast kick that can be used in the opponent's wakeup. In combos, the j.HP is better(But if you want to use this move, go ahead).
cr.LP - Really bad in light attack combos. Can be used as a safe poke too.
cr.LK - Almost no reach, but it's the best when used in light attack combos.
cr.HP - A slow anti-air move. You can use this or his DP. Can be used in punish combos too.
cr.HK - A fast sweep. Can be used as low poke(Yeah, he can use only one low poke). Cancel it if you want meter.
Command Moves
Hisha Otoshi
- b+LP - Bad move, really. It can negate normal projectiles, but you have better options to do that. This move isn't useful in combos(Even in MAXIMUM Mode) too, so it should be better if you avoid it.
Oniguruma
- f+LP - (If used alone) A really fast move that knocks down the opponent. You can poke with this move(It will not whiff on low crouching chars, and it's fast). It can be canceled too. (If used after a normal) A really fast attack that cannot knock down your opponent. It's the best to use in combos, but it can be a little hard(You know, that combo options thing). This move's properties(It's in the beginning) can be used even after a normal(Do any cancelable normal, wait a moment, f+LP. The timing is different for each normal), and you can combo(With a knockdown).
Kawara Wari
- f+LK - (If used alone) A non-cancelable overhead like Ryu's. You can use this in wakeup mixups. (If used after a normal) A simple, and non-cancelable move(But you can cancel it in MAXIMUM Mode). If you delay the cancel, you can make this move an overhead, and no, unlike in the f+LP, you cannot combo in this way(Just try to do like a meaty cr.LK, wait a moment, f+LK. It's simple to do, and it's an overhead after a low, that's a nice thing to use in mixups).
Special Moves
- qcf + P: Ko'ou Ken
- f,b,f + P: Zanretsu Ken
- f,d,df + P: Kohou
- qcb + P: Mouko Burai Gan
- hcb + K: Shouran Kyaku
- Charge db,f + K: Hien Shippuu Kyaku
Super Moves
- qcf,qcf + K: S^ Kyokugen Kohou
- f,hcf + P (can hold): S^ Haou Shikou Ken
Exceed
- f,hcf + AC (can hold): X^ Chou Haou Shikou Ken