Hokuto no Ken/Raoh

Overview Combos Matchups Strategy

Introduction

Raoh is slow, powerful, and more than anything else, a combo character. He is likely the hardest character to learn - he has no 'basic' combos, his bread and butters all being 100%'s. Theoretically he could perhaps be the strongest character in the game, as he is capable of doing 100% combos from any hit with no meter. However, realistically, getting a 100% off of every hit is simply not possible, and due to the length and difficulty of his combos even top Raoh users will often make mistakes.

Also, while he is fairly good at applying pressure, his mixup is lacking due to his slow speed. This, along with his very poor defense(no backstep, no reliable reversal, guard lag), is why he is considered to be in the bottom end of the 'top tier.' All in all, Raoh is still a very strong character despite his weaknesses, but is not one that can be recommended to beginners.

Pros	Cons
No gauge 100% combos possible from almost any hit Traveling combos recover a large amount of Boost and Aura while granting very little to his opponent Decent star reducing ability and easy 3 star combos Good matchups against the lower tiers	Bad matchups against Toki and Rei No backdash - his KOF95-esque 'fade' is useless and will often be the cause of your demise when you accidentally use it Switching guard from high to low/low to high takes 8 frames due to a hardware bug, making quick overheads extremely hard to block Can be crossed up in the corner Defense relies heavily on Musou or powerup stocks, has no way to get out of pressure without meter Relatively poor mixup

Raoh
Character Data

Before diving right into the combos be sure to familiarize yourself with Raoh's special/super moves and important normals.

Normal Moves

Close

cl.A

cl.A

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	Hit Adv	Block Adv
-	Mid	7	6	-	-	-4
A short elbow jab. Very poor reach, but still can be used as an anti-air sometimes.

cl.B

cl.B

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	Hit Adv	Block Adv
-	Mid	8	7	-	-	-5
A kick to the shin. Can cancel into itself. Mostly used as a combo part.

cl.C

cl.C

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	Hit Adv	Block Adv
-	High	11	2	-	-	-10
Chargable with a Powerup Charge. A strong overhead punch. Doesn't hit crouching opponents. Used mostly in combos to connect to a Banishing Strike. Holding C with a powerup stock available grants Super Armor and makes it unblockable.

cl.D

cl.D

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	Hit Adv	Block Adv
-	Mid, Low	9	4 () 10	-	-	-11
A knee followed by a drop kick. Both hits are cancelable, and the second hits low. The first hit can be a good spot to cancel into 6B as the startup animation looks the same as the second hit.

Far

f.A

f.A

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	Hit Adv	Block Adv
-	Mid	7	6	-	-	-6
A quick jab while advancing forward. Mostly used in Traveling/Basuke combos. Can be used as an anti-air sometimes.

f.B

f.B

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	Hit Adv	Block Adv
-	Mid	8	7	-	-	-5
A light kick. Fairly fast execution and good range. Good for zoning and as an anti-air.

f.C

f.C

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	Hit Adv	Block Adv
-	Mid	18	4	-	(Launch)	-13
Chargable with a Powerup Charge. A two-handed punch. Identical to Kenshiro's far C, but due to Raoh's height it does not hit crouching opponents and is much less useful. Holding C with a powerup stock available grants Super Armor and makes it unblockable.

f.D

f.D

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	Hit Adv	Block Adv
-	Mid	11	6	-	-	-16
A sidekick. Its long range makes it good for zoning, but it has very long recovery. Can chain into a Banishing Strike by canceling the startup of 2D(input as D > 2CDCD or D > delay 2CD), making it a key move in combos.

Crouching

2A

2A

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	Hit Adv	Block Adv
-	Mid	5	6	-	-	-4
A crouching punch. 5 frame startup - this is Raoh's fastest ground normal and is the only move capable of following up after an air Sai. Can be used to get out of pressure and even as an anti-air in some cases.

2B

2B

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	Hit Adv	Block Adv
-	Low	7	5	-	-	-3
A crouching kick. Fairly decent range, good for zoning. Startup too slow to use to get out of pressure. As it is only a level 2 attack it can be hard to hit confirm Boost into a combo.

2C

2C

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	Hit Adv	Block Adv
-	Mid	18	4	-	Launch	-17
Jump cancelable. Chargable with a Powerup Charge. A strong punch to the ground. Causes opponent to bounce into the air even on normal hit, but if the total hits in the combo is over ~20 at the time of it connecting, the opponent will instantly be knocked down. Holding C with a powerup charge available makes the move become unblockable and gain Super Armor, and the opponent is launched high into the air on hit (must high jump after connecting to follow up).

2D

2D

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	Hit Adv	Block Adv
-	Low	12	4	-	Launch	-22
Chargable with a Powerup Charge. A low sweep kick. Very long range, can follow up with Insatsu, or a Grave Shoot in some situations. Like far D it is dangerous to miss with, but slightly safer as you can cancel the recovery into a Grave Shoot or Banishing Strike. Holding D with a powerup stock available makes the move unblockable and launches the opponent into the air.

Air

j.A

j.A

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	Hit Adv	Block Adv
-	High	3	8	-	-	-
A jumping jab. 3 frame startup. Used mostly for getting out of pressure.

j.B

j.B

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	Hit Adv	Block Adv
-	High	8	8	-	-	-
A jumping kick. Decent range. Used mostly for cross ups and in combos.

j.C

j.C

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	Hit Adv	Block Adv
-	High	11	8	-	-	-
Chargable with a Powerup Charge. A strong air punch. Can cancel into itself. Has no landing recovery, making it the only normal Raoh can bait a Guard Cancel with. Holding C with a powerup stock available stalls your momentum, makes the move unblockable, and causes wall bounce.

j.D

j.D

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	Hit Adv	Block Adv
-	High	11	4 () 4 () 4 () 3	-	-	-
A 4-hit kick. The last hit is almost behind Raoh, making it good for cross ups from normal and high jumps.

Command Normals

6A

6A

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	Hit Adv	Block Adv
-	Mid?	29	10	-	-	-24
A charging punch. Mostly useless except in certain Banishing Strike combos. This move will likely be the cause of your demise many times as it loves to randomly come out when you try to input a reversal chop.

6B

6B

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	Hit Adv	Block Adv
-	High	27	4	-	-	-14
A drop kick. Hits overhead. Extremely hard to block when followed up with Boost 2B. There is no reason to ever use it without Boost or Aura as it is not cancelable and does not give advantage even on hit.

Universal Mechanics

Throw

Throw

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	Hit Adv	Block Adv
-	Throw	4	4	-	Launch	N/A
Raoh lifts up the opponent and throws them away. Follow up possible with Boost. Cannot cancel into Musou Insatsu. Great if you have enough Boost to follow up, otherwise not worth using.

BD Throw

BD Throw

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	Hit Adv	Block Adv
-	Throw (whiff vs. crouch)	9	4	-	Launch	N/A
Raoh grabs the opponent by the face and smashes them to the ground. Follow up possible with Boost. Cannot cancel into Musou Insatsu. Generally only ever used to finish off a dizzied opponent.

Grave Shoot

Grave Shoot

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	Hit Adv	Block Adv
-	Throw (whiff vs. crouch)	15	4	-	Grave Launch	-5
Raoh throws up his arms, launching his opponent into the air. Short range to the sides, but extends high into the air. Aside from its use as a combo part, it also functions as an early anti-air, but suffers from long recovery. Use with caution.

Heavy Strike

Heavy Strike

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	Hit Adv	Block Adv
-	Unblockable	41	2	-	-	N/A
A backhand punch. Range is short and misses on all crouching characters except Heart and Raoh. Fairly bad as far as Heavy Strikes go but still useful in some situations.

Banishing Strike

Banishing Strike

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	Hit Adv	Block Adv
-	Mid	19-39	4	-	Banish Launch	-6
A painful looking body shot. Extremely important move used in pretty much all of Raoh's combos.

Special Moves

Hokuto Donryuu Kohou

Hokuto Donryuu Kohou
214A

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	Hit Adv	Block Adv
-	-	27	-	43 total	-	-
A powerup move. Allows for storing up to three powerup charges, which appear as globes above the Boost gauge. These powerups are used to strengthen several of Raoh's normal and special moves. Having powerup charges available opens up many combo options, and also forces your opponent to adjust their play as well, as they have to worry about the devastating powerup chop. As it has fairly long startup and recovery, Kohou should only be used at a distance. Even then, it is almost never safe to powerup when your opponent has Boost.

Hokuto Goushouha

Hokuto Goushouha
236C (Air OK)

Version	Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	Hit Adv	Block Adv
236A	-	All	43	-	-	-	-
Gains a hit and starts up faster with a Powerup Charge. A fireball move. Done on the ground, it is a 3-hit beam-type projectile capable of nullifying other projectiles. Mostly useless due to its large startup and recovery. Takes off one star on counter hit. Despite the improvements with charge, the ground version remains useless for the most part.
Version	Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	Hit Adv	Block Adv
j.236A	-	All	17	-	-	-	-
Wall bounces on counter hit with a Powerup Charge. The air version is a more traditional looking fireball that travels downward at a 45 degree angle. While much more useful than the land version, after shooting off the fireball you do not recover until landing, so it is necessary to exercise caution when using this move. Takes off one star on counter hit.

Hokuto Tenshou Raigeki

Hokuto Tenshou Raigeki
623A

Version	Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	Hit Adv	Block Adv
Normal	-	-	20	-	-	Launch	-
AKA Chop. Raoh winds up and then releases a delayed chop. The startup is invincible, but it wears out 9 frames before the move actually executes, making it hard to use as a reversal. On counter hit the opponent loses one star and is launched high into the air, and it is possible to follow up with a special homing jump, similar to a Grave Shoot. This move is exceptional at dealing with Guard Cancels.
Version	Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	Hit Adv	Block Adv
Charge	-	-	8	-	-	Launch	-
The powerup version gains a second hit during the wind-up animation, making the execution much faster (8F), and is fully invulnerable. This move is a legitimate dragon punch and can be used very effectively as a reversal. Both hits can be canceled into a jump on counter hit. While much better than the normal version in almost all areas, due to its fast execution the powerup version is not suited to baiting Guard Cancels.

Hokuto Raretsuken

Hokuto Raretsuken
623C

Version	Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	Hit Adv	Block Adv
Normal	-	-	14	-	-	Launch	-
Raoh rushes forward, punching 3 times and finishing with an uppercut. It executes very quickly and nets you a ton of meter on hit or guard. Often clashes with fireball moves and does quite a bit of chip and Guard Crush damage as well - it is especially useful against characters like Thouther and Mamiya. Takes one star and causes wall bounce on counter hit. It is only -6 on guard, but the final hit will sometimes miss if your opponent uses Aura Guard, which will allow them to punish you.
Version	Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	Hit Adv	Block Adv
Charge	-	-	14	-	-	Launch	-
The powerup version gains 4 hits, to a total of 7, and the final uppercut takes one star. Aside from its increased chip and Guard Crush damage as well as meter building abilities, this move is a very important part of Raoh's Dribble combos.

Sai

Sai
214D (Air OK)

Version	Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	Hit Adv	Block Adv
Ground	-	-	21	-	-	Launch	-
Raoh stabs his opponent through the foot, pinning them to the ground. The opponent and Raoh stay stuck together on the ground for a certain amount of time, during which neither opponent can move (except to crouch) or use Boost. The land version takes one star on hit, and due to its slow execution can only be comboed into using Hitstop Cancel(except vs crouching Rei). Also possesses Super Armor versus weak attacks, but as you will never use this move outside a combo it has no real use. Larger window to follow up with 2A than the air version.
Version	Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	Hit Adv	Block Adv
Ground Charge	-	-	21	-	-	Launch	-
Only the land version can be powered up - it takes two stars on hit and becomes easier to use in wall bounce combos. The Super Armor is also improved but it remains useless. When following up with 2A the timing is slightly different than the normal land version - it is easy to mess up your combo if you use Sai without realizing you have a powerup charge, so it is important to keep this in mind.
Version	Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	Hit Adv	Block Adv
Air	-	-	21	-	-	Launch	-
When performed in the air Raoh first catches the opponent with a kick and brings them to the ground, where he then stabs them. This is without a doubt Raoh's most important move, as it plays a central role in all of his combos. Can be followed up with 2A only(2 frame window). Also it has a minimum height limitation, meaning that if you try to tiger knee it too low, you will only get a high jump air D.

Super Moves

Musou Insatsu

Musou Insatsu
41236D

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	Hit Adv	Block Adv
-	-	3	-	-	-	-
Uses 1 bar of Aura. Jump cancelable. A unique move that allows Raoh to cancel the recovery of almost any move into a powerful kick, at the cost of one bar of Aura. With a very quick startup at only 3 frames and Super Armor, Musou Insatsu is extremely useful and causes your opponent to have to approach you very cautiously when you have meter. This can allow you to get away with a lot - for example Kohou is usually unsafe to use in most situations, but fear of an Insatsu will often keep your opponent from taking advantage of this and attacking you. Musou Insatsu can be jump canceled on guard or hit. It is also possible to Boost both the startup and recovery of it. On normal hit the opponent is launched into the air, and you will want to follow up with a normal forward jump. A counter hit will take a star and cause wall bounce, and is best followed up with an air dash B.

Hikou Shinkesshuu

Hikou Shinkesshuu
214214A

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	Hit Adv	Block Adv
-	-	4	-	-	-	-
Uses 1 bar of Aura. An anti-air super. Raoh throws his cape into the air, catching any opponent within range. This move is completely unblockable - if your opponent is in the air and in range they will be caught. Can be extremely useful to get out of pressure, but will likely result in your death if you miss. Takes off one star on normal hit and two on counter hit.

Musou Tensei

Musou Tensei
214214B

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	Hit Adv	Block Adv
-	-	4	-	-	-	-
Uses 1 bar of Aura. A 'charge' super, that after executing(left picture) grants the ability to use the special defensive maneuver Musou Tensei(middle and right pictures) up to 7 times. While active pressing 6(for mid/high attacks) or 2(for low attacks) in time with his opponent's attack hitting will cause Raoh to teleport behind them. Specifically, the time frame for Musou activating is 5 frames within inputing the forward or downward direction. However, if the lever is returned to neutral within 5 frames of the input, the total time is extended to 11 frames. There is a roughly 15 frame window after attempting to Musou in which it is not possible to try again, which prevents continuous Musou attempts. Musou charges carry over rounds so it is advantageous to try to get off the super as soon as possible.

Tenshou Honretsu

Tenshou Honretsu
214214C

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	Hit Adv	Block Adv
-	-	30+11	-	-	-	-
Uses 1 bar of Aura. An invincible charging super. Takes two stars on normal hit, three on counter. Its slow startup makes it pretty much useless as a reversal and it is not really suited for combos either. It does have some rare uses, which are covered in the Matchups section.

Fatal KO

Hokuto Mettenha

Hokuto Mettenha
236CD

Damage	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	Hit Adv	Block Adv
-	-	12+5	-	-	-	-
Requires the opponent to have 0 stars. A deadly punch to the skull, from the final fight between Raoh and Kenshiro. A very good FKO, as it locks on the opponent and cannot miss as long as the first hit connects. Also possesses Super Armor, although it is mostly useless except as a gimmick.