Kakyoin's Strategy
Kakyoin, being the best character in the game, has a massive variety of powerful moves and options that allow him to play in any way you want. Though, in the vein of his planned design, his strongest aspect is his defense which is both fairly easy and infuriatingly powerful. And that isn't hyperbole, Kakyoin is so good at shutting down approaches that he can cause a LOT of impatience, which he is also very good at capitalizing on.
NEUTRAL, POKES, AND NETS
Kakyoin's neutral comes from keeping the opponent at an arms reach, and being highly adaptable to any situation. Fluidly changing playstyle on the fly will help keep you unpredictable and dangerous. Use your enormous pokes (S.5B, S.6B, S.2B, S.2C, S.4C, S.8A/C) and cancel them into net to stuff any approach and threaten the opponent while staying safe and at advantage. S.236X can help zone, a powerful projectile that beats *almost* every other one in the game, however it is easily Kakyoin's most committal long range option and should be used smartly, and/or protected with a net. The stray damage from simply poking with these can add up very quickly. Now, you can simply use these nets as an empty cancel, however you'll want to hold the button and keep that net there. Now you have a wall, a bunker.
Having a net held while performing your pokes essentially gives you armor, and will put pressure on your opponent simply by existing. It is no longer as simple as correctly timing and spacing their approach against your pokes, they have to do so for the net as well. If your opponent is careless in cutting down your nets, they leave themselves open to getting hit while in recovery. If your opponent does not respect the nets, they will get hit by them, which will lead to big damage or momentum no matter where on the screen they are hit. Since Kakyoin always takes priority over nets, you can block an attack meant to cut a net, and then release your net to counter attack. However, to break a net in the first place, the opponent must use a physical attack with their stand. This means characters like Young Joseph, Mariah, and both Hols have NO moves to break them, and characters like Black Polnareff and Shadow Dio have *very* limited options to do so.
NETS PART 2: CHOICES
Now, you have 3 nets. They appear in slightly different positions and lock you out of certain buttons. There are advantages, and disadvantages, to choosing what net you hold. It's best to cycle through them, both to keep your opponent from figuring out which one you're using, and to keep your options open. Your C buttons are slower, less cancelable, and slightly more niche, so it's a good net to hold, especially for a very aggressive up close opponent who you'd already back up against, and where your fast buttons are more reliable. Your A buttons are relatively stubby, but quick. It can be good to hold when you're focusing on using your larger normals to keep the opponent out. The net also appears in front of Kakyoin, so it's a very good net to use when in your opponent's face for pressure. Your B buttons are obviously your most strong, being good at long and close range, so you will use this less than the others. But it still has use, appearing right on top of Kakyoin, meaning you do not need to move at all to have to covering you, a downside of C net. Whichever net you use comes down to your assessment of the situation. Another choice is how long you want to keep that net. You may want to cycle through nets quickly, making the zones you're covering change rapidly, however it can pay to sit and wait. Due to the mental stack of having to keep track of so many things, by simply holding the net and applying offensive or defensive pressure, you can cause your opponent to forget about the net, or at least its position. You can also hold 2 nets, which limits your options and makes it clear which ones you're using, but now forces the opponent to keep track of 3 dangerous entities. It is recommended to hold A and C for this, since your B normals are the most versatile, but you can cycle as needed.
NETS PART 3: KAKYOIN'S PRESSURE AND OFFENSE
Nets are not only a defensive tool, as they can act as a free cancel and improve your frame data. S.5B's first hit on block is -11, however if net canceled it becomes +1, and if the net is blocked, that's even more blockstun your opponent has to deal with. Nets also apply a danger to attempting to counterhit you out of pressure, as the net could eat their hit or hit them. Use net cancels to make moves like S.5B, S.2B, and S.5C(1) safe, giving you another opening to mix the opponent up. Use S.J.3X and IAD alongside S.2A and S.2B to apply 50/50's, even if the opponent attempt to pushblock you out. A cheeky option can be repeating several S.J.3X in a row, as it will frametrap most buttons and force the opponent to pushblock, and allows you to mindgame when you go for a low. Can be especially useful in shaving off the last sliver of someone's health. IAD in particular is important, as it allows you to close distance as your opponent attempts to pushblock you out. Good IADs are essential to Kakyoin's offense.
MOBILITY
Kakyoin's mobility is unparalleled. His stand off dash goes fullscreen, and his stand on dash is almost as fast. He has a good jump arc and small air hurtbox, and in stand on he gets a double jump and infinite airdashes as well as air nets. This allows Kakyoin to do many things, such as being able to reposition to anywhere he wants almost completely uncontested, the ability to approach and back off in an instant, or run away the entire match and be impossible to catch. Use the variety of unique and system wide tools (such as cancelling all dashing momentum by turning your stand on, or turning your stand on mid air to retain S.OFF jumping momentum) to trick your opponent into making a hasty approach or counterpoke. Stay unpredictable, and stay safe.
OKIZEME
Kakyoin has likely the best okizeme in the game, aside from unblockable oki. Your best option for oki is ending a net combo with 2C. S.4C net cancel and tie-wrap snake also work well. Or a stand on grab, particularly in the corner. This gives you ample time to get close, place a net, and then go for S.J.3X or S.2A/S.2B as a high/low 50/50 with a net to layer it. If it hits, you get free reign to go for a knockdown and more oki or straight into an extended tandem for huge damage. If you don't have enough time to place a net, you can go for just the raw 50/50. You can also throw in grabs, or sneaky tricks like purposefully whiffing on option and doing the opposite (ie: do S.J.3X before meaty and then do a low). If you're too far from the opponent, IAD to close distance, and this can be an emergency meaty. On characters like Avdol and Rubber, you'll need to heavily practice the meaty timing due to their powerful reversals and quick wake up times, or focus on baiting said reversals and using mindgames to get them to respect your oki. In the corner, instead of extended tandem you'll want to cash out your damage using the corner loop. Stand off grab will usually give you time to do a 50/50, but not with net.
If you are interested in the specifics of your knockdown advantage, they are listed here.
