SvC Chaos: SNK Vs Capcom/Serious Mr. Karate

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本気になったMr.カラテ, Honki ni Natta Mr. Karate
"I get a little rough and you fold like a dollar bill!"
Difficulty Easy Execution, Hard Gameplay
Max Mode Needed? Essential
Tier Placement Pretty Good (B)
Standing Hitbox Average
Crouching Hitbox Short

Introduction

Mrkaratehonkifacesvc.png

Serious/Shin Mr.Karate (SMK for short), or in Japanese known as "Honki ni Natta Karate," is a beefed up version of the classic AOF boss. If you're an Art of Fighting fan, good news: Serious Mr. Karate is loosely based off of his AOF1 iteration. He can jump off walls, has only his Exceed super, huge Haoh Shou Kou Ken fireballs, hard-hitting attacks, etc. Whether SMK is considered a good character or not, let alone if he's better than normal Mr. Karate, is very debatable and, depending on who you ask, boils down to eye of the beholder. Two things are certain, though: he's definitely not a god tier, and without Max Mode, he's borderline garbage. Give him Max Mode though, and in the right hands he can pose a threat. While not the most unorthodox, he is still a pretty interesting boss character with his heavy Max Mode reliant gameplay and unique move list.

How to select Serious Mr. Karate (Outside of Super Plus)

  • Do these inputs below, before the timer reaches 10 (AES Only):
  • (While holding start) Up, Left, Up, Down, Right(2x), Down, Left, Up, Left, Right(2x), and press a button to select him
  • Console Method: Hold R1/RT above Kasumi Todoh
Strengths Weaknesses
  • Fast walking speed: SMK is thankfully not lacking in mobility, letting him move around easier to better escape bad situations or pressure the opponent easier. This includes wall jumps in the rare event he needs to escape the corner.
  • Obnoxious zoning: There's a few ways SMK can zone: giant Haoh Shou Kou Ken fireballs, a series of 3 said fireballs in rapid succession, or his palm blasts. While these are punishable, their massive hitboxes and ability to mix up their speeds makes approaching SMK difficult, especially with max mode cancels.
  • Able to charge his own meter like in Art of Fighting: A huge saving grace for SMK, he can manually charge up his own meter, allowing him to obtain meter from one more additional source when possible and giving him max mode uptime sooner. This brings another problem where if he fully charges his meter, he automatically enters max mode as a result, but it's a helpful boon.
  • Can punch out normal projectiles: Not all that practical, but a unique feature to him and another nod to AOF where you could punch out projectiles. This can occasionally prove useful for him when timed right and save meter for max mode instead of taking the hit or using front step.
  • A few unblockables up his sleeve: SMK's unblockables aren't very potent but can potentially help open the opponent up against weaker level players. The real meat of his unblockable game, however, is his unblockable exceed. A ranbu super that, though not nearly as terrifying as Shin Akuma's exceed, is easy to setup yet leads to massive reward, on top of being active for quite a long time and thus being difficult to avoid. Use it at the right moment, and it guarantees the round for SMK.
  • Max Mode makes him a monstrous threat: For better and worse, max mode is SMK's identity. When he does have access to it, he has amazing pressure and good combo potential to work with, on top of unlocking much higher damage in his kit that in some matchups, he dictates the pace of the match by himself.
  • One of the hardest characters in the game: In short, SMK is a character who requires careful meter management and cannot afford to waste even a small amount of max mode meter. A very unique character, but one who has very high highs, low lows, and repeated periods of downtime when he doesn't have access to most of what makes him function. And when he's in that downtime, there's little he can actually do.
  • Bad light attack chains: SMK doesn't get much out of his light attack chains, let alone because he cannot cancel his lights and thus don't serve him as much purpose. At most they help pester an opponent off him if needed, but they're short chains you have to link together.
  • Lost his running grab: A minor downside, but the lack of an extra mixup for SMK can make it more difficult for him to open opponents up, on top of having fewer tools to work with in neutral.
  • Has to rely on really repetitive strategies outside of Max Mode: When he lacks access to max mode, SMK neutral boils down to spamming fireballs, baiting with Hien Shippuu Kyaku, resets, or just running away. SMK players tend to pick their poison and hope for the best, because while not defenseless, everything SMK has becomes a lot more committal.
  • Cannot cancel anything without Max Mode: No, not even lights. SMK cannot cancel anything without max mode, therefore making it the single most important mechanic to bring everything together. And because of the lack of any cancels, this oversimplifies what he can do in a bad way. Which is to say nothing too meaningful. To make things worse, he has almost zero combos without Max Mode, only leaving you with a follow-up after Hien Shippuu Kyaku.
  • You must save meter for Max Mode: Not having the ability to pop max mode whenever he needs severely hurts SMK's full potential. Saving up the meter is the easy part, he has a whole slew of specials and even a manual meter charge, let alone he never spends it for supers. But the forced downtime between max mode and recovering it is what greatly hampers his momentum and makes it difficult to maintain. It also makes using GCFS a steep cost, regardless of the amount of meter used.
  • Is abysmal without Max Mode: He's trash and feels like it when you don't have max mode active, arguably bottom 3 even. Max mode is this character's entire identity, take it or leave it.
SVC Chaos: SNK VS Capcom Frame Data Glossary
Damage

How much damage the attack does. This takes into account no defense modifiers, so the damage assumes a 0% damage modifier.

  • Note: Damage is a little inconsistent. Example: Geese cl.A deals 5 damage. Against Zero, sometimes it does 5 pixels of damage to his life bar, other times it does 4 pixels. Against Ryu, cl.A does 4 pixels of damage, other times it does 3 pixels of damage. This info comes from the Enterbrain Mook, but most likely this is the cause of damage modifiers skewing the damage slightly, thus making it a bit inconsistent.
  • Damage values listed are pulled from the SVC Chaos Enterbrain Mook, save Athena, Red Arremer, Serious Mr. Karate and Shin Akuma. It is listed because it's an official source for this info, just keep in mind damage is not 1-to-1 due to varying health values and screwy ways the game calculates damage anyways.
  • There will be a question mark next to the four mentioned characters because it's only a guess as to what the actual damage values are (until health and damage are better understood), since they were never gathered in the Mook.
Counter Damage

How much damage the attack does on a counter hit, or when it connects with an opponent while they're performing an attack. Counter damage values listed are pulled from the SVC Chaos Enterbrain Mook, save Athena, Red Arremer, Serious Mr. Karate and Shin Akuma.

Guard

Where the attack hits, and thus where it must be blocked.

  • Mids can be blocked standing and crouching
  • Overheads must be blocked standing
  • Lows must be blocked crouching
  • Unblockable cannot be blocked
  • Throws break through block up-close
Guard Crush

How much guard meter damage the attack does to the green Guard Gauge.

Stun

How many points of stun the attack adds to the opponent's invisible Stun Gauge.

Meter

How much meter is gained for performing/landing the attack. Special moves earn meter both when activated and when they connect with the opponent, whether it hits them or they block it.

Cancel

The type of cancel the attack can perform.

  • Any - All cancel types work
  • Ch - Chain cancel; it can chain into other attacks (mostly just lights)
  • Self - Can chain only into itself
  • Cmd - Command cancel; can cancel into command normals
  • Sp - Special cancel; can cancel into special moves, and almost always this means super cancels are possible too
  • Su - Super cancel; can cancel into super moves
  • Free - Free cancel; can be cancelled in Max Mode by other special moves or super moves
  • Written only for special moves as all normals can be Free Cancelled, so writing it in for every move would be redundant
  • X - Cannot be cancelled, either outside of Max Mode or that it cannot be cancelled at all
Startup

How many frames it takes before the move becomes 'active' or has a hitbox. The SVC Chaos wiki uses classic startup notation, which does not include the first active frame. A move with 3 startup becomes active on frame 4. Super and Exceed startup will calculate both the frames before and after the super flash animation as such: X+Y, with X being the startup frames before the flash animation and Y being the startup frames after the flash animation.

  • The startup will not take into account the frames of the flash animation itself where time freezes and the opponent player cannot act.
  • Super flashes last 28 frames, whereas Exceed flashes last 27 frames.
  • Because there is currently no way to view throw boxes, it is assumed that throws/command grabs are at most 0-1 frames of startup. Truthfully, we don't actually know though.
Active

How many frames a move remains active (can hurt opponents) for. Consecutive sets of active frames on a multi-hit move are separated by a comma. (Example: 3, 4 - The attack has its first hitbox for 3 frames, then the second hitbox for 4 frames)

  • If there is a gap between sets of active frames, the gap is denoted by a number in parentheses. (Example: 3, (2), 4 - The attack is active for 3 frames, then is not active for the next two frames, followed by being active again for 4 frames.)
  • Throw boxes are not visible either through dipswitches or the hitbox viewer so it's only a guess how active throws and command grabs are, but it's probably one active frame at most.
  • This also applies to hitbox images - they will still show the push and hurtboxes of characters but outside of that, unfortunately there is no way to depict the throw boxes at the moment.
Recovery

How many frames it takes for a move to finish after it's been active.

Total

The total number of frames the attack lasts on screen for. This adds up the startup, active, and recovery frames into one number.

Hit/Block Adv

These are frame advantage values when the attack hits or is blocked. If the number is positive, then the move will end before the defender can act again. If the number is negative, the defender will be able to act before the attacker and maybe even punish.

  • SKD refers to a soft knockdown, or a knockdown you can tech roll out of.
  • HKD refers to a hard knockdown, one that you cannot tech roll out of.
  • All frame advantages assume Ryu as the opponent. If there are variable wakeup times, it is currently unknown info.
  • Frame advantages of projectiles assumes the opponent is point blank range. Any farther and this obviously changes and/or doesn't matter.
  • Block advantage assumes no use of Guard Cancel Front Step.
  • For one, it obviously decreases the attacker's frame advantage significantly.
  • When the defender uses GCFS is also a variable factor so you cannot provide a hard answer as to what the frame advantage is after GCFS, as well as how soon they cancel GCFS into an attack.
  • Generally speaking, just assume the block advantage minus the active frames of GCFS, and that's a rough estimate of the frame advantage when GCFS is performed.
  • This doesn't really matter in most cases, since the attacker will automatically be quite minus after most attacks.
Invulnerability

Indicates whether there's any frames of invulnerability during the attack.

Move List

Normal Moves

Important note to remember: Serious Mr. Karate cannot normal cancel his normal moves, but he can Free Cancel them in Max Mode.

Far/Close Normals

Important note regarding Serious Mr. Karate's close and far normals: A, B, and D are nearly identical in their close and far versions, however both versions of A have very slight differences in frame data. Close and far kick buttons have different hitboxes depending on proximity.

cl/st.A
Damage Counter Dmg Guard G. Crush Stun Meter Cancel Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Invulnerability
- - Mid - - - - 4 4 cl.A= 4 ; st.A= 5 12-13 cl.A= +4 ; st.A= +3 cl.A= +2 ; st.A= +1 -
  • It's a starter for his Light Attack chains, but will whiff against low crouching chars. It has the same speed as the normal Mr.Karate. You can also use this to punch out normal projectiles.

cl/st.B
Damage Counter Dmg Guard G. Crush Stun Meter Cancel Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Invulnerability
- - Mid - - - - 6 5 9 20 -2 -4 -
  • Can be used as a finisher for Light Attack chains without whiffing against low crouchers. Can be used as a poke, or even to anti-air. It has the same speed as the normal Mr. Karate.
  • Close hitbox is a tall vertical box covering most of SMK's leg. Far hitbox is a square centered ending at the edge of his foot. It is farther away from SMK than cl.B, but reaches slightly higher and farther past his foot.

cl.C
Damage Counter Dmg Guard G. Crush Stun Meter Cancel Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Invulnerability
- - Mid - - - - 4 4 16 24 +0 -2 -
  • Simple strong punch. The recovery of the move is different from the normal version, but is faster than the normal Karate's.

st.C
Damage Counter Dmg Guard G. Crush Stun Meter Cancel Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Invulnerability
- - Mid - - - - 6 3 10 19 +7 +5 -
  • Very fast to use as a poke. This move is faster than the normal Karate's.

cl/st.D
Damage Counter Dmg Guard G. Crush Stun Meter Cancel Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Invulnerability
- - Mid - - - - 14 6 16 36 -2 -4 -
  • This move was Takuma's in the early KOF games as an anti-air. The normal Mr. Karate doesn't have this move.
  • Close hitbox is similar to B, with a tall rectangular hitbox covering SMK's leg reaching above his foot a little, but ends at the center of his body. Far hitbox is more square like, and overall wider, but does not cover as much of his leg.

Crouch Normals

cr.A
Damage Counter Dmg Guard G. Crush Stun Meter Cancel Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Invulnerability
- - Mid - - - - 4 3 7 14 +2 +0 -
  • This move isn't that useful when compared to the normal Mr.Karate. It's slower, isn't used much in Light Attack chains due to poor reach, and can't even chain into itself, or other Light attacks. You can stop normal, ground-based projectiles using the tip of this punch.

cr.B
Damage Counter Dmg Guard G. Crush Stun Meter Cancel Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Invulnerability
- - Mid - - - - 6 3 11 20 -2 -4 -
  • The normal Mr.Karate doesn't have this move. It has great reach, possibly the best reach of his moves, and is faster than Mr.Karate's cr.B. It's the best finisher for Light Attack chains with its reach.

cr.C
Damage Counter Dmg Guard G. Crush Stun Meter Cancel Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Invulnerability
- - Mid - - - - 6 2, 3 17 28 -2 -4 -
  • It's the same as the normal Mr.Karate's cr.C, but with better recovery. Good when used to anti-air while you charge downback.

cr.D
Damage Counter Dmg Guard G. Crush Stun Meter Cancel Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Invulnerability
- - Mid - - - - 11 3 21 35 SKD -6 -
  • A simple sweep that knocks down. Nothing very special.

Jumping Normals

(n)j.A
Damage Counter Dmg Guard G. Crush Stun Meter Cancel Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Invulnerability
- - Overhead - - - - 4 13 - - - - -
  • Neutral/Diagonal Jumping Attack
  • Shin Karate will do a punch exactly like his j.C, but it will stay for a longer time, and will do less damage. The normal Karate's j.A is different.

(n)j.B
Damage Counter Dmg Guard G. Crush Stun Meter Cancel Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Invulnerability
- - Overhead - - - - 6 nj= 12 ; dj= 16 - - - - -
  • Neutral/Diagonal Jumping Attack
  • Incredible move. It can crossup with ease, making it one of his best jump attacks. The reach and the angle in this kick are really helpful too. The normal Karate doesn't have this move in his arsenal.

(n)j.C
Damage Counter Dmg Guard G. Crush Stun Meter Cancel Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Invulnerability
- - Overhead - - - - 8 5 - - - - -
  • Neutral/Diagonal Jumping Attack
  • A simple punch with good damage to use on jump-ins. Nothing very special. The normal Karate's j.C is the same as this move.

nj.D
Damage Counter Dmg Guard G. Crush Stun Meter Cancel Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Invulnerability
- - Overhead - - - - 5 4 - - - - -
  • Neutral Jumping Attack
  • You won't be using this so much, but you can use this in neutral jump combos. The normal Mr.Karate has this move too.

j.D
Damage Counter Dmg Guard G. Crush Stun Meter Cancel Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Invulnerability
- - Overhead - - - - 10 8 - - - - -
  • Diagonal Jumping Attack
  • Very tricky to use on combos due to the startup, but good anyway. Can be used to crossup too. The normal Mr. Karate can do this move.

Command Normals

Yoke Migi Seiken Zuki
b.A
Damage Counter Dmg Guard G. Crush Stun Meter Cancel Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Invulnerability
- - Mid - - - - - - - - - - -
  • This move isn't that useful. Shin Karate will stop by a brief moment, and a little time after that, he will do a normal punch(With the same animation as his s.A, but will push your opponent by a longer distance). While Mr. Karate is in the "stop" animation, he will have upper body invincibility(Only moves with a hitbox near from the ground can hit him). Unlike his s.A, it will hit most crouching characters, and you can't make projectiles vanish with it too. You can't normal cancel it.

Ducking Shite Mawashi Geri
b.B
Damage Counter Dmg Guard G. Crush Stun Meter Cancel Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Invulnerability
- - Mid - - - - - - - - - - -
  • Same properties as the move above, but he will do his s.B(With a sprite included). Like the move above, you can't normal cancel this move.

Jigoku Zuki
df.C
Damage Counter Dmg Guard G. Crush Stun Meter Cancel Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Invulnerability
- - Mid - - - - - - - - - - -
  • Shin Karate will do a punch. It's pretty good, I can say. Why? It's an overhead, and can be the fastest of all ground overheads in this game. It will knock your opponent down, and you can't normal cancel it. Good to use on wakeup games.

Soku Gatana
df.D
Damage Counter Dmg Guard G. Crush Stun Meter Cancel Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Invulnerability
- - Mid - - - - - - - - - - -
  • Shin Karate will do a kick that hits low, and will knock your opponent down. It's very fast too, you can use it on wakeup mixups.

Kiryoku Tame
Hold ABC
Damage Counter Dmg Guard G. Crush Stun Meter Cancel Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Invulnerability
- - Mid - - - - - - - - - - -
  • Shin Karate will begin charging his meter as you hold the button, and he'll quickly stop after you release the button. While he's charging, the (kind of) blue energy that envolves him will negate normal projectiles(And some super ones), and he'll continue charging after the projectile hits. It can be dangerous to use against some characters(Like EQ with his Fat Guilty), so watch out. This move is very important to Shin Karate's game, and remember: In Max Mode, you can use this move, but you won't get meter.

Throws

Kof.lp.pngKof.lk.png Throw
Damage Counter Dmg Guard G. Crush Stun Meter Cancel Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Invulnerability
24 24 Throw 0 0 0 X - - - - - - -

Kof.sp.pngKof.sk.png Throw
Damage Counter Dmg Guard G. Crush Stun Meter Cancel Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Invulnerability
24 24 Throw 0 0 0 X - - - - - - -

Guard Cancel Blowback
Kof.sp.pngKof.sk.png on Block
Damage Counter Dmg Guard G. Crush Stun Meter Cancel Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Invulnerability
0 0 Mid 0 0 0 X - - - - - - -

Special Moves

Ko'ou Ken '02
qcf P
Version Damage Counter Dmg Guard G. Crush Stun Meter Cancel Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Invulnerability
qcf A - - Mid - - - - - - - - - - -
  • Do you remember Takuma's Ko'ou Ken? That invisible one? If yes, you know... That sucks a lot. Here, it is the same thing, but the "projectile" can negate some Supers too. It's very fast, but it won't help you so much on combos(But he has some possible ones). The projectile will come out faster in the A version, but the it won't hit your opponent if he/she's full screen away(While the C version can hit your opponent in there).
Version Damage Counter Dmg Guard G. Crush Stun Meter Cancel Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Invulnerability
qcf C - - Mid - - - - - - - - - - -

Zanretsu Ken
fbf P
Version Damage Counter Dmg Guard G. Crush Stun Meter Cancel Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Invulnerability
fbf A - - Mid - - - - - - - - - - -
  • This move is one of the best in Shin Karate's arsenal. He will begin punching, and if he connects while he/she isn't blocking, Shin Karate will do 25 hits on the opponent(There's almost no difference between the versions, but Shin Karate will punch for a longer time if the punches are whiffing your opponent). It's one of the most damaging moves in his arsenal, and can be used as a followup for the D Hien Shippu Kyaku. If your opponent blocks it, Shin Karate won't be pushed away from your opponent, and your opponent will stay blocking(And won't be pushed away from Shin Karate), where he/she can do a GCF when he/she wants. (Note: If this move was blocked, your opponent won't receive any damage). You can't even max cancel the last hit(Unlike Ryo in '02).
Version Damage Counter Dmg Guard G. Crush Stun Meter Cancel Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Invulnerability
fbf C - - Mid - - - - - - - - - - -

Built Upper
dp P
Version Damage Counter Dmg Guard G. Crush Stun Meter Cancel Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Invulnerability
dp A - - Mid - - - - - - - - - - -
Version Damage Counter Dmg Guard G. Crush Stun Meter Cancel Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Invulnerability
dp C - - Mid - - - - - - - - - - -
  • This move is great. It's like a simple DP, but there are differences between the versions. The A version will do only one hit(Two if it does a counter hit), can be comboed from the Light Attacks in Max Mode(Only the Lights), and will make Shin Karate land faster(Can be max canceled too). The C version will make him jump higher, and he will do 3 hits(Where the first 2 hits can be max canceled). This move is very useful on his max loops.

Hien Shippuu Kyaku
[db]~f K
Version Damage Counter Dmg Guard G. Crush Stun Meter Cancel Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Invulnerability
[db]~f B - - Mid - - - - - - - - - - -
Version Damage Counter Dmg Guard G. Crush Stun Meter Cancel Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Invulnerability
[db]~f D - - Mid - - - - - - - - - - -
  • This move is good. The B version will do only one hit, and you won't use it so much. The D version is his combo source outside of Max Mode(Like his normal counterpart), because the second hit will put your opponent in that beautiful juggle state(You can followup it with almost anything he has).

Kyokugen Kohou
qcf x2 K
Damage Counter Dmg Guard G. Crush Stun Meter Cancel Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Invulnerability
- - Mid - - - - - - - - - - -
  • This was a Super move in the normal Mr. Karate's arsenal. It can be used as a followup for the D Hien Shippu Kyaku, and the first two hits can be max canceled(They have the same animation and properties as the C version of his DP). There is a loop involving this move too.

Kishin Geki
qcb x2 P
Damage Counter Dmg Guard G. Crush Stun Meter Cancel Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Invulnerability
- - Mid - - - - - - - - - - -
  • Quasi-proximity unblockable? The first punch is unblockable, and the other two can be blocked. This move is a little predictable(Your opponent can just jump/backdash to avoid the unblockable punch). (Note: You can't do it on a knocked opponent.)

Haou Shikou Ken
f~hcf P (Hold to delay)
Damage Counter Dmg Guard G. Crush Stun Meter Cancel Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Invulnerability
- - Mid - - - - - - - - - - -
  • Super from the normal counterpart. There isn't so much difference between the two of them. The differences are: If you hold the button pressed, you'll get more damage(The normal Karate couldn't get more than the damage of a Super), and if you don't release the button, the projectile will be unblockable. The A version will be slower, and a little easier to jump. The C version is faster, and the jump timing can be almost impossible for some characters.

Chou Haou Shikou Ken
f~hcf AC (Hold to delay)
Damage Counter Dmg Guard G. Crush Stun Meter Cancel Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Invulnerability
- - Mid - - - - - - - - - - -
  • The normal counterpart's Exceed, but with some differences. First, the more hold the button, more damage you'll get, and if you don't release it, it will be unblockable, like the "Super" version. Another difference is that this move will do 2 hits by projectile(The normal Karate's Exceed could do only one hit by projectile. Oh, did I said that the normal counterpart's version of this move is faster, and if you hold the button, the normal will release the projectile after the Shin Karate? That's strange, but it's true.

Exceed

Chou Ryuuko Ranbu
Qcf.pngHcb.pngKof.lp.pngKof.sp.png
Damage Counter Dmg Guard G. Crush Stun Meter Cancel Startup Active Recovery Total Hit Adv Block Adv Invulnerability
98? 98? Unblockable 0 0 0 X 11+11 26 48 96 SKD X No invul on whiff, Full invul only if exceed connects
  • SMK has no true invulnerability when using this move. However, he can dodge some low attacks using this during the active frames as he charges forward (such as cr.Bs or shoto sweeps), but not all low attacks. It needs to either be very close to the ground or touching it for him to avoid it with the Exceed. He dodges it due to the Exceed lifting him off the ground for a bit.
  • This move isn't that useful for combos, but it's unblockable, and the damage is solid. Sadly, it can't be used to followup the D Hien Shippu Kyaku.
  • You can use as a meaty after any knockdown combo, or even while your opponent is stunned to guarantee it connects.
  • Arguably one of the strongest Exceeds simply because SMK can meaty with it when he has it, and the opponent can't do anything about it. It's poor for neutral since the opponent can jump it, or potentially counter it. However, it travels decently fast, so you could use it as a punish or when the opponent cannot escape in time. If the opponent is in red health, then it should be a guaranteed win for SMK.

Strategy

Basic Strategy

Shin Karate's gameplan

His gameplan is simple. It's called "Max Mode", the only way to do damaging combos and loops, and you just need to hold 3 buttons to get into it. He is an offensive character(Not agressive), but if he's being pressured, he can hardly escape. Don't worry about defensive options too, he has good(And very fast) anti-airs to use in his arsenal. In the normal mode, the best thing he can do are only D Hien Shippu Kyaku combos, negate projectiles with a single punch, charge his meter and GCF+grabs. His Exceed is something good(And important) on his arsenal, only because it's unblockable(You can better use it as a meaty on the opponent's wakeup), but it won't be good to use after normals/Command/Special Moves(You'll just lose the Exceed). To play him, you can be agressive, or even patient, which is good, because Shin Karate is a character with a big arsenal(but no Supers) to use on the offense or in the defense. Good luck in your matches.

Advanced Strategy

Resets (Part of the things below were a little copy and paste from the normal Karate's sections)

Resets are really important in this game, and the characters who have moves with juggle properties(Like Shin Karate) are almost experts on that. The normal Mr. Karate has 2 good resets(Or even more) to use in a match(But only midscreen ones). Shin Karate has some too, and I'll put here one to use in the normal mode, and other in Max Mode. Now for the normal one:

(Corner only? I think you can do it on midscreen, but I can't confirm) Charge db, f+D, walk a little forward, Any Normal(The best to use are the s.A/B, and the cl.C), (While your opponent is landing) Exceed

Really easy for a normal mode reset. The fact that the Exceed is unblockable makes you want to do it(Hit-confirming the Exceed is the best thing ever). Now for the Max Mode one:

(Corner only? Yeah, the question still stays) [Jump Attack(If you want to use it, charge db, and watch out if you crossup)] cr.C(You can charge db before it too), (Stop charging db) f+D, Do the loop number 4 and when you want, after any QCF+A, Any normal, (While your opponent is landing) Exceed

Another hit-confirm to the Exceed. The cr.C is better for punish situations. If you don't like loopss, you can use this instead:

(That question again) [Jump Attack(You know what would be here)] cr.C(Again, you know), (Stop charging db) f+D, DP+C/QCF(2x)+K(max cancel the second hit into) QCF+A, Any normal, (While your opponent is landing) Exceed

A little easier to do, and... Good luck with this, it won't be hard for you. Now, practice, and be the best.

Match-Ups

Combos

SVC Chaos: SNK VS Capcom Quick Combo Notation Guide
  • cl. = close normal
  • st. = standing/far normal
  • cr. = crouching normal
  • f.; etc. = forward direction (NOT far)
  • X = any button
  • CH = counter hit
  • , = Used to separate attacks in the combo
  • / = Separates different options for the combo (mainly different starters or enders that are possible)
  • Unless otherwise stated (such as it's a link or you need to delay the attack), assume this is a chain/cancel.
  • Example: cr.B, cr.A, dp A ; cr.B chains into cr.A, then cr.A cancels into dp A
  • [b]~f = Indicates to charge back (or downback), then press forwards for the given special move
  • ( ) = Parentheses used to indicate the attack(s) within the parentheses are optional to add to the combo
  • (C) = Indicates a free cancel, aka a cancel only possible in Max Mode
  • (SC) = Indicates a super cancel via free canceling in Max Mode
  • (1) = Used to indicate how many hits of the attack should connect (or less than) before continuing with the combo
  • Example: cl.C(1), hcb P means that only one hit of cl.C should be performed before moving on to do hcb P, not more than one hit
  • [ ] = Used to distinguish combo loops or combo starters/etc. in case a certain attack is only possible after specific options
  • xN = Repeat the given loop for as many times as either possible or as many times as you wish

May change to numpad notation much later down the road.

BnB Combos

BnB Combos
Combo Position Damage Stun Difficulty Notes
(j.X - crossup preferred,) st.A x3-4, cr.B TBA TBA TBA TBA His best Light Attack chain. With the Jump Attack crossup, you can get up to 6 hits with this simple link, but you can't combo after the cr.B. It can be useful to stun your opponent.
[db]~f D, Almost any follow-up, (meaty Exceed on KD) TBA TBA TBA TBA Another simple combo on the normal mode. Nothing very special, because you already know that the D Hien will put your opponent in that juggle state. The only moves that can't combo with it are: b+A/B(That stop animation won't help you), df+D(It's better when your opponent is on the ground, really), the same move(Just imagine how broken he would be!), the QCB(2x)+P(It can be used only near from the opponent, but only if he/she is standing), and the 2 versions of the Haoh Shikou Ken(The normal counterpart could combo with them... Strange...), and the Exceed(Strange too). The best followup for it is the f, b, f+P(It's the most damaging, and easiest one), but you can use the other ones.

Max Mode Combos

Serious Mr. Karate combos will not list most of the free cancels of Max Mode combos, only because it'd be redundant when almost everything in the combo is done via free cancelling his attacks.

Max Mode Combos
Combo Position Damage Stun Difficulty Notes
(j.X,) cr.A/cr.B, dp A, (meaty Exceed on KD) TBA TBA TBA TBA Simple link to use, but he has better options to use. You can use this combo everywhere too. The combo will only work with the cr.B if you crossup with the Jump Attack(If you want more damage and a low-hitting move, I mean).
(j.X,) cr.C, [db]~f D, Any follow-up / fbf P, (meaty Exceed on KD) TBA TBA TBA TBA Good damage on this one(Better with a Meaty Exceed). It's used with the normal counterpart too. Can be used as a BnB for his game if you don't like loops.
[dp C(2), qcf x2 K(2),]xN TBA TBA TBA TBA This is his main loop - the DP loop. He has some others, but I'll put only this one, because it's easier to do. You can use this everywhere too. There are some variations for this combo too, I'll put (Some of) them below. After the Max Mode ends, you can add a Meaty Exceed if you want, or if your opponent gets a stun, you can begin charging(To get on Max Mode again), hit your opponent with any combo ending with a knockdown(Won't matter if he/she recovery rolls), and do a meaty Exceed(Can insta K.O your opponent). If you want to begin with QCF(2x)+K, go ahead, the loop will work in the same way.
[db]~f D, dp C(2) / qcf x2 K(2), [(C)qcf P (whiff), dp C(2) / qcf x2 K(2),]xN TBA TBA TBA TBA A simple variation with the D Hien. Even if you learned the combo above, it can be a little hard to do. If you want, you can add the beginning of the combo number two(You'll get 2 more hits) and a Meaty Exceed after the combo(For more damage).
(Corner only) DP Loop, qcf A, cr.C, [db]~f D, fbf P, (meaty Exceed on KD) TBA TBA TBA TBA A corner variation to use after the basic loop. Pretty hard to do, but if you can do the loop, you can land it on a stunned opponent in the corner(Or even to punish).

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