Iku Nagae

Introduction

Iku Nagae, the mid-boss of Scarlet Weather Rhapsody and a Ryuuguu no Tsukai that lives among the clouds. Able to manipulate lightning and possessing the youkai ability to read the atmosphere, Iku lives between the realm of humans and dragons, and acts as an envoy to the Dragon Palace.

Advantages: Iku combines many unique features which make fighting her quite a different experience. She has fast and deceptively long-ranged, easy to hit and combo melee attacks while airborne, and when grounded she's backed up by powerful, varied skills and spellcards. Her bullets also tend to be unique, capable of zoning and long-range gimmicks. Finally, her decks can change her playstyle rather drastically, from the chip-damage and gimmicks based annoyer, to a high-risk and high-damaging comboer... going through the balanced zoning/comboer types which capitalize 2k to 2.5k damage and a bluering from almost any hit.

Disadvantages: Iku combines being one of the slowest characters while being lightweight, and having a large hitbox. Also, even though her moveset is almost complete, each move tends to be designed for one specific purpose alone, and she lacks melee attacks that hit behind her and graze attacks. Most of her moves contain critical flaws, as much varied as her moveset. All this means that she's easy to punish, and when she is, she'll take a lot of damage. Also, as a side effect of these flaws and her slow speed is that it's very hard to guardcrush with Iku without the use of spellcards, or advanced techniques like LandCancel strings. Finally, there's some difficulty in handling Iku's decks, as it's hard to judge which skill or spellcard fits better a given playstyle, and some spellcards go as far as being misleading on their apparent use.

Special Properties

Floating (slow): Iku's special form of flight. Does not show the usual winds flight animation around Iku, is much more maneuverable than regular flight, turning radius is reduced, straight speed is reduced, and prohibits flight landing cancelling into highjump. Also, it consumes half the spirit that regular flight does. Finally, instead of just one, she has three flight animations with differently shaped hitboxes: one for vertical flight, one for forward flight and one for backwards flight. The only other characters that float are Patchouli and Yuyuko, but their floating is much more maneuverable.

Hoverdash: Iku’s ground dash (D6) hovers slightly above the ground. This allows her to dash over some low physical attacks. However Iku’s hitbox is turned horizontal during the dash which makes her extra vulnerable to wide physical attacks, such as Alice’s 6A. The only other character with a hoverdash is Yukari.

Long roll/slide: Iku's wakeup roll or recovery goes much further than other characters', however this also makes it much more predictable. The only other character that slides farther than usual is Patchouli, and her slide doesn't go as far as Iku's.

Lightweight: Iku is launched further away, wallslams/groundslams higher, and then falls slower. This is particularly bad for Iku, since she is vulnerable to all combos that hit lightweight characters, but due to her large hitbox size, she's still prone to most combos that whiff on the other ones.

Hisoutensoku 1.10 Changes

A tentative and still incomplete list of changes, and thus it will not yet be amended into the appropriate areas. Most of the changes here should be verified, just in case.

f.5A, 6A, 3A, j.2A, j.6A, j.5A, 66A, 66C, and possibly some other moves have graphical changes. They can now see our hitboxes.
5A(2nd) and 5A(3rd) now limit 20%. This way 5AAA still limits 40%, but combos that start from 5AA will limit early
6A: Looks completely different now. Iku does a swipe in front of her, with wind effects. Hitbox whiffs on crouching Sakuya and the likes on point blank. Same damage.
236 Dragon Fish's Strike: bigger hitbox.
236 Dragon God's Strike: hitbox stays on level up.
236 The Dragon Fish That Obtained Water: Faster.
623 Veils Like Water: B version is now like the old SWR C version.
623 Veils Like Wind: B version lasts a long time, C version lasts less than B version but is way larger. Ignores the opponent.
623 Angel's Strike: B version is the same as before, C version has a bit of startup and is a full-fledged grab.
214 Electrostatic Guided Missile: Bigger and brighter at level 2.
214 Dragon God's Lightning Flash: Seems to be slower, less dense, more spread and less bounce.
22 Dragon Fish's Wrath: Bigger, has more pushback.
22 Dragon God's Whiskers: C version activates as fast as B version, and still lasts a long time. However, this time leveling increases the amount of hits. At level 1, C version hits 6 times, and at level max, it hits 12 hits. B version is four hits on all levels.
Lightning Sign "Elekiter Dragon Palace": Deals less damage.
Thorn Sign "Thunder Cloud Stickleback": Still lasts five seconds, but has eight ticks now. As such, it ticks faster.
Jewel Sign "Pearl of the Five-Clawed Dragon": Grows as time passes.
Angel's Raiment "Veils Like Space": Faster now.
Dragon Fish "Swimming Oarfish Shot": Less bullets, has pushback, smaller duration.

Normal Moves

Move	Description	Damage	Proration	Hits	Limit	Notes
Close 5A	Short sleeve whip with a little spark on the end. Chainable into 6A and 3A. As of v1.01, this will whiff on a crouching Reimu, Sakuya, Patchouli, Yuyuko, Suika, and Reisen, and a dashing Marisa/Sakuya if you are too close. Most moves with strong counterhit properties (6A, j.2A, 66C etc) cause long enough of a bounce that you can wait for your enemy to fall about mid-body height and let out another 5AA.	380	94%	High	0
5AA	A long whip to the air. Whiffs against shorter characters if used too far. Can still continue to 5AAA on whiff if inputted fast enough. (HISOUTEN: 5AA is fused with 5AAA)	550	92%	High x2	20
5AAA	Another long whip, this time to the ground. (HISOUTEN: 5AA is fused with 5AAA)	700	85%	High x3	40
5AAAA	Double palm press. Also propels Iku forward. This will whiff on a dashing/crouching Sakuya and a crouching Suika. (HISOUTENSOKU: Now adds a lightning ball a la 66B. The lightning ball has no hitbox) (HISOUTEN: is 5AAA)	700	85%	High x4	40	Knockbacks.
Far 5A	A spinning sleeve whip that propels Iku forward and ranges just slightly over one body length. Leaves Iku vulnerable on whiff. Risky, but the counterhit stagger is good enough to land a followup 5C on most characters, allowing you to pull off various improvised combos. Not bad for a counterhit. Comboable into 3A and 6A.	650	90%	High	0
2A	Crouching sleeve whip. Like much of Iku's moves, the actual hitbox extends slightly further than the tip of her shawl sprite. Useful if you want to poke people out of your c5A range. Comboable into 3A and 6A.	450	93%	Low	0
3A	A slow soccer tackle that travels a short distance forward and hits beyond her feet.	700	850	Low	40	Knocks down.
3[A]	Charged version of 3A that travels slightly farther, but no difference in knockdown.	850	85%	Low	40	Knocks down.
6A	Double palm press; just like 5AAAA.	700	85%	High	40
6[A]	Charged version of 6A that propels two body lengths.	950	80%	High	40	Wallslams.
j.5A	Aerial version of f.5A, but Iku preserves her momentum in the air. Smaller hitbox than f.5A.	450	92%	Mid	0
j.6A	A sleeve whip that hits forward and upwards. Has deceptively good range that goes slightly beyond the scarf. Only the initial swing hits, and bad delay if whiffed. Useful for hitting opponents flying torwards/away Iku, especially at a height slightly above her.	800	80%	Mid	40
j.8A	A small drill punch, but upwards. Up to 4 hits.	300	95%	Mid	4*10
j.2A	Sleeve whip 45 degrees downward that has the same properties as j.6A, but has a huge blind spot in front of Iku. Always err on the side of overestimating it's range; chances are it'll smack, and if it didn't you'll be left standing right in front of the opponent.	850	80%	Mid	40
66A	A dashing version of f.5A. Knocks back.	650	90%	High	40
66B	Dashes with an large electric orb in front. Just like 5AAAA and 6A, however, this time, the electric orb has hitbox. Connects between 2-6 body lengths, but has a blind spot in front of Iku. Whiffs past opponent at anything under 2 body lengths. (HISOUTENSOKU: No more blind spot)	900	80%	Mid	40	Deals 1 spirit damage on block. Grazable.
66C	A dashing version of j.2A without the blindspot. Iku will end up on the other side if connected at point blank. Jumps over crouching Sakuya and Suika.	650		Mid		Groundslams.

Bullet Moves

Move	Description	Max Damage	Proration	# of Projectiles	Limit	Notes
5B	Shoots out 5 electric orbs in a fan motion. Causes Hovering.	5*300	93%	5	5*5%	Deals 1.5 spirit damage on block.
5[B]	Charged version of 5B that shoots 9 electric orbs that span the entire height of the screen.	9*300	93%	9	9*5%	Deals 2-3 spirit damage on block.
2B	Shoots out 3 electric orbs in a straight and tighter fan motion. Use this on the ground against grounded opponents that are nearby instead of the regular 5B.	3*300	93%	3	3*5%	Deals 1 spirit damage on block.
2[B]	Charged version of 2B that shoots 5 electric orbs that fans slightly upwards.	5*300	93%	5	5*5%	Deals 1.5 spirit damage on block.
j.5B	Same as 5B, but aerial.	5*300	93%	5	5*5%	Deals 1.5 spirit damage on block.
j.5[B]	Same as 5[B], but aerial.	9*300	93%	9	9*5%	Deals 2-3 spirit damage on block.
5C	Shoots a large orb 4 body lengths away, then explodes into 4 smaller orbs. At 3 body lengths away, the large orb deals 3 hits. The smaller orbs deals 1 hit each. Does 7 hits max. The smaller orbs are 5B orbs.	3*300	93%	4 (4)	3*5%	Deals 1.5-2 spirit damage on block.
5[C]	Charged version of 5C that flies 6 body lengths at a faster speed and deals the same amount of damage. Iku is vulnerable until right before the orb explodes.	3*300	93%	4 (4)	3*5%	Deals 1.5-2 spirit damage on block.
6C	Fires off 4 quick streams of lightning straight through the entire length of the screen. Can be HJC'ed pretty fast.	4*300	93%	4	4*5%	Deals 1 spirit damage on block. Rift.
6[C]	Charged version of 6C that fires 5 streams in a wider pattern for roughly the same amount of damage. Only the initial orbs cause damage.	4*300	93%	5	5*5%	Deals 1 spirit damage on block. Rift.
2C	Iku hops a little over 1 body length forward and releases an wind orb off of sleeve upwards. Orb travels 2 extra body lengths or after 3 hits before disappearing. Anti-air. Iku is vulnerable until she touches the ground or air-dashes after orb leaves her sleeve.	3*300	95%	1	3*10%	Deals 1 spirit orb on damage. Knockback.
j.5C	Same as 5C, but aerial.	3*300	93%	4 (4)	3*5%	Deals 1.5-2 spirit damage on block.
j.5[C]	Same as 5[C], but aerial.	3*300	93%	4 (4)	3*5%	Deals 1.5-2 spirit damage on block.
j.6C	Same as 6C, but aerial.	4*300	93%	5	4*5%	Deals 1 spirit damage on block. Rift.
j.6[C]	Same as 6[C], but aerial.	4*300	93%	5	4*5%	Deals 1 spirit damage on block. Rift.
j.2C	Iku shoots an orb with lightning tailing behind it just like her 214, but at a 45º downwards angle. If the orb hits the ground it bounces and goes 45º upwards angle. The short trails behind the orb deals damage, but usually won't hit unless used at close range.	700 (+100)	92%	1	10% (+10%)
j.2[C]	Almost the same as the uncharged version, but Iku shoots two orbs instead of one and the angles are a bit different from each other.	2*700	92%	2	2*10% (+2*10%)
j.1C	Same as j.2C, but the shot is angled down more sharply.	700 (+100)	92%	1	10% (+10%)
j.1[C]	Fires two sharply angled trailing shots.	2*700	92%	2	2*10% (+2%10%)

Special Moves

	Dragon Fish's Strike: 236B/C Flavor Text: A piercing attack that uses her robes wrapped around her arm. A wide-ranging attack with few gaps that focuses mostly on midrange coverage. Iku turns her scarf into a lightning drill and slides forward while striking with it. Very long range, but has a blindspot close up. This is a melee move. Hits mid (can't be wrongblocked). The drill arm has a hitbox just like Iku's body and thus can be hit by enemy attacks. First levelup (only) improves startup speed. B Version: Doesn't slide as far. Hits 4 times. 1500 damage (500 x 4 hits). 24f startup, level1 improves to 20f. 0 adv on block. C Version: Iku slides further, this hits from a screen away. 1600 damage (400 x 6 hits). 27f startup, level1 improves to 20f. -10 adv on block.
	Veils Like Water: 623B/C Flavor Text: Poses, then performs a flowing attack using her robes while guarding. Can nullify projectiles and melee attacks. Iku poses, then whips diagonally upwards with a scarf-shaped lightning. Hits ground and low air targets all the way up to maximum range. This is a melee move. Hits mid. Has a short duration of autoguard before attacking. Leveling increases range, level1 improves the autoguard duration. In SWR: The B and C versions were different. C provided a long autoguard delay before attacking. As of 1.10 Hisoutensoku these are reversed.
	Electrostatic Guided Missile: 214B/C (Air-usable, Can be held-down) Flavor Text: Calls lightning to her hand and fires it at the enemy. The lightning is straight, but the smaller bolts can be bent and guided towards the enemy. Iku summons a lightning projectile that leaves a trail as it goes in a straight line. The trail doesn't hit. Holding down the attack button breaks the straight line, and makes the projectile home on the enemy. On max level, triples itself after homing. Doesn't disappear on graze or hit. B Version: Initially goes horizontally forward (until held down enough or released). C Version: Initially goes 45 degrees upwards on the ground, and 45 degrees downwards in the air.
	Dragon Fish's Wrath: 22B/C Flavor Text: Calls thunder from above her and generates lightning, which generates a barrier of electric current and burns nearby enemies. No invincibility, but useful for countering. Iku points her finger up and causes a chamber of lightning to surround her area. Extremely dense bullet that hits around one body length horizontally, and infinitely upwards. Causes knockback on hit. Drains 1 orb on blocking from the side, and almost 2 orbs if blocking the upwards beam. Not air techable unless it wall slams. Deals 50% chip damage. Leveling increases damage significantly, from around 1500 to over 2500. B and C versions don't seem to differ.

Alternate Skill Cards

	Dragon God's Strike: 236B/C (Chargeable) Flavor Text: Charges surrounding static electricity into her robes and releases it straight forward. Limited range, but hard-to-dodge vertical bolts add to its effectiveness. Iku shapes her scarf as a drill and punches forward, discharging sparking electricity from it. This is a bullet move. Whiffs point blank. 40% limit on hit. Can be high-jump-canceled very early. Hits 4 times (unless canceled earlier), 5 on max level. Charging up adds one hit and makes the area covered by this attack much larger. Drains 0.25 orbs per hit (4 hits mean 1 orb total). B Version: Attacks forward like the melee drill. C Version: Attacks diagonally upwards. Can't hit ground targets.
	Dragonfish, the Able Swimmer: 236B/C (Expansion-only) Flavor Text: Synchronizes body movement with the wind. Allows her to move at unthinkably fast speeds. Hops about three body lengths in a direction of your choice. Can go through the opponent. Vulnerable during startup and pose, invulnerable during the hop. Starting from level 2, this can be canceled into itself. Leveling it further allows you to cancel into itself earlier in the dance animation. B Version: Hops the opponent's direction. C Version: Hops backwards.
	Veils Like Wind: 623B/C (Air-usable) Flavor Text: Creates a special turbulence barrier that has no attack power, but can deflect bullets. She can use them as offensive weapons depending on how they're deployed. A power of hers, as she can read the winds after all. Iku forms a white ball that reflects bullets that hit it back at the enemy. Leveling increases duration. The ball itself can also hit the enemy, which causes it to disappear. As of 1.10, the ball can no longer damage the enemy. Levelling causes the ball to persist longer and B and C properties have changed. B Version: Smaller, but disappears slower. C Version: Larger, but disappears faster.
	The Smite of the Goddess: 623B/C (Expansion-only) Flavor Text: Catches her opponent with her shawl in the air and shocks them. She's practiced for a very long time in order to get her shawl to behave the way she wants it to. Iku reaches up in the air with her scarf, attempting to grab an opponent with its tip. On hit, shocks the opponent with lightning and forces knockdown. Whiffs on grounded opponents. As of 1.10 B and C properties have changed. B version: Faster but blockable. C version: Slower startup, but a throw.
	Dragon God's Lightning Flash: 214B/C (Air-usable, Chargeable) Flavor Text: Bends lightning released to the rear towards the enemy. If you're mindful of its limited attack power before it bends, this technique can even shine as a feint or in exchanges. Sends a cluster of lightning jolts that gather above and behind Iku's head before speeding towards the opponent. Standard shots produce six bolts, charged version dishes out eight bolts. Homes towards the opponent, but doesn't track. Leveling increases speed. B and C versions don't seem to differ.
	Dragon's Eye: 214B/C (Air-usable) Flavor Text: A projectile consisting of two glowing orbs with lightning coursing between them. The orbs follow curved paths, so it has a rather complex attack pattern. Iku summons a slow and small rotating lightning beam that grows bigger while travelling forward. Does not disappear until goes offscreen, or uses up all 2 hits (on hitting or being blocked). Level1 increases hits count to 3, and level max to 4. 0.375 orbs drained per hit blocked. B Version: Sends the beam rotating clockwise if facing right (counter clockwise if facing left). C Version: Sends the beam rotating counter clockwise if facing right (clockwise if facing left).
	Dragon God's Wrath: 22B/C Flavor Text: Attacks with a thunderbolt that can be aimed at the enemy's position or your own. You can control the thunderbolt's timing by holding the button down. Iku summons lightning from the heavens to fiercely strike upon thy foes. After a delay from usage, a blue electric mark shows up and lightning strikes that location. Iku is free to move after summoning. Hits once and drains 1.5 orbs on block. Sends the opponent flying up on hit. Two bolts can be held at a time, one of each version (B/C). If Iku is hit before the lightning shows up, the summon fails and no lighting would strike. B Version: The lightning strike appears at the opponent's location. C Version: Appears over Iku.
	Whiskers of the Dragon God: 22B/C (Can be held-down, Expansion-only) Flavor Text: A ranged attack that spreads balls of lightning around. You can somewhat control the movement of the lightning with the up and down keys. This lightning can communicate with others like it in dark clouds. Iku strikes a pose and summons a ball of lightning overhead, that instantly spreads infinitely long tendrils of lightning at a 180 degree angle. She can then rotate the tendrils with direction inputs. Extremely dense laser bullet type. Rotates to fixed angles by holding 2 or 8. Rotation doesn't happen immediately, it's required to hold the button over time, however it does rotate fast enough to aim it. Deals massive damage, massive chip damage, and one quarter orb of spirit damage per hit. Safe on block, comboable. Does not hit grounded opponents without rotating. The C version of this move has slow startup but stays out for an incredibly long time, often forcing the opponent into situations where it is difficult to avoid. However it has a blind spot directly in front of Iku. Leveling increases the width of the tendrils. 10% limit per hit. B Version: Moderately fast startup, with up to 4 hits and 3 rotations. C Version: Very slow startup, with up to 12 hits.

Spellcards

One cost cards

Electric Sign "Thunder Drum Shot" Flavor Text: Gathers up a sphere of electrical energy. After advancing for a moment, it bursts out in all directions. A super version of Iku's standard 5C, but instead of exploding into 4 smaller electrical balls in a square shape, 8 electric balls will appear in a larger circle shape and rotate clockwise before disappearing. Since it fires a little faster than 5C, this can be used for punishing some aerial melee offensives. Also, it can lock the opponent in a long blockstun, so it helps on Iku's blockstrings. Air usable, grazeable, not interrupted if Iku is hit.

Angel's Raiment "Veils Like Time" (Expansion-only) Flavor Text: Uses her veil to delay the attack of the opponent. If she presses the guard button, she can expend one card in her hand to counter the attack. If she has enough cards, she can enter defense mode. Gives a buff to Iku for 15 seconds. During the buff's duration, pressing the card use button will expend one card and perform a counter. Essentially, all cards you currently possess become Guard Hangekis/Crimson Scarfs. Don't be mislead by the seemingly pointless buff (since using this card for counters is probably worse than using regular Hangekis). The actual strenght of this is canceling moves like 236BC, or even a.22BC (thundercalls) faster than a HJC could, making it possible to combo from these, with the added benefit of being able to fine-tune your hand or manipulate the weather should your opponent attack you. Quite the Johnny SC.

Two cost cards

Lightning Fish "Swimming Thunder Shot" Flavor Text: Fires a lightning bolt that repeatedly changes direction. While the effect continues, the enemy's movement is restricted. You can use it by itself, but the power is low. A super version of Lightning Missile that periodically stops and homes in on an opponent. Goes in 4 directions before flying off the screen. Nice harassment spellcard to keep opponents flying or blocking while Iku can gain momentum. Grazeable, not interrupted if Iku is hit.

Three cost cards

	Fish Sign "Dragon Fish Drill" Flavor Text: Coating the arm in a spiral of electricity, a spell that pierces the enemy with a huge discharge. The reach above and below is very high. Electric melee drill. Iku strikes with a Drill Punch that spans more than half the entire arena and hits up to 12 times for 3416 damage. Basically a super version of her standard 236BC and can be used the same way. Use it on opponents nearby the corner for maximum hits, and combo it after a 5AA or a j.2A. Additionally, you can use it after a blocked 236BC or 623BC to punish opponents for trying to retaliate or escape. Has some (very few) graze frames during the spellcard. 60% limit. HISOUTENSOKU: 3090 damage.
	Lightning Sign "Elekiter Dragon Palace" Flavor Text: Summons a thunderbolt from directly above. Can be used as a protective barrier. A beefed up version of the Lightning Tango with invincibility frame start-up, but Iku is vulnerable to projectiles and melee during the rest of the duration of the spellcard. A nice reversal card, but the somewhat slow startup makes it easy for opponents to quickly whiff and then block/graze the entire spellcard. Combos after a corner 5AA or j.2A, but won't work midscreen.
	Star Light "Light Dragon's Sigh" Flavor Text: Accumulates thunder directly overhead. An anti-air technique that delivers a powerful shock to anyone up above. A large ball of electricity is unleashed above Iku's head and slowly rises up to the top of the stage before dissipating. The ball will not hit anybody at standing height, but can combo in a corner right after a 5AA. Does decent damage and quite a lot of spirit damage on block, locking opponents in blockstun and making it easy for Iku to crush their Spirit Orbs even faster with Lightning Tango spam. Possibly useful for catching foes above Iku by surprise and primarily for punishing opponents who airtech in corners. Also great for alt. 22 (Dragon God's Wrath) users because it can be used after the move for good damage.
	Thorn Sign "Thunder Cloud Stickleback" Flavor Text: A technique that combines attack and defense by surrounding her in an electrical field that shocks any enemy who touches it. The wisdom of living as a thundercloud. Iku charges herself with a jolt of lightning that radiates a short distance around her body and lasts for 5 seconds. Irregardless of what state Iku is in, the opponent will take damage if she comes into contact with Iku during the duration of the spellcard. Treated as a projectile, so it can be grazed. Since it deals a tremendous amount of spirit damage if blocked repeatedly, this spellcard is primarily used for quickly guard crushing an opponent or forcing a Border Escape at the corner. Once either result has been achieved, players should always block possible escape routes and hover underneath enemies who attempt to fly over it. Use discretion when utilizing this card, as Iku is still vulnerable to graze attacks, reversals, and even standard and special melee moves that extend way beyond the hitbox of the opponent (e.g. Alice, another Iku).

Four cost cards

Angel's Raiment "Veils Like Sky" Flavor Text: A technique that wards off enemy attacks. Grants the power to evade attacks while dashing or high jumping, making her very hard to catch. The perfect time to seize the initiative. While this spellcard is activated, Iku treats all attacks as bullets for the purposes of grazing. In short, Iku is allowed to graze through melee attacks as if they were bullets. This includes all attacks with melee properties, including specials and spellcards. Melee attacks with collision boxes will still prevent movement, but damage will be avoided by grazing. The card lasts for approximately 15 seconds, and is signified by white winds whirling around Iku's body. A rather character-dependent card, as it's more useful against characters such as Alice and Komachi that depend on the long range of their melee attacks for zoning. Video demonstration.

Orb Sign "Orb of the Five-Clawed Dragon" (Expansion-only) Flavor Text: Five bolts of lightning trace the shape of a star, and advance in the shape of a claw. This is a very high level skill for Dragon's Messengers, the spokespeople of the dragons. A super version of Iku's Dragon's Eye alt. 214. The bolts are arranged in a pentagram and move forward much faster compared to the skillcard. When the spell is actually cast, the pentagram persists even if you get hit so it has reversal properties. Adds 5 percent limit per hit.

Five cost cards

Dragon Fish "Swimming Oarfish Shot" Flavor Text: Shoots electricity out in the shape of a spiral. Your actual body is defenseless, but the electricity takes a defensive role, inhibiting enemy action. Iku generates a small ball of electricity above her head while a large cluster of small lightning jolts slowly rotate out and spread across the screen for a long time before disappearing. All parts of the skillcard are Type-2 and extremely dense, so if opponents try to fly directly through the spellcard, their spirit orbs will drain much faster than normal. If hit or blocked. opponents will be stuck in long stun or blockstun, so Iku can spam point blank 5B for a guardcrush and a lot of damage. The spell is very slow on startup and duration, when Iku is vulnerable. If Iku is hit while casting, new bullets won't appear, but already existing ones will stay on screen, so it is best used after a succesful 100% limit knockdown or after the oponent has used all air movement and is airborne in the corner, where this spellcard usually assures a guardcrush and at least 3000 damage. Air usable, use this to adjust distance and timing of the bullets.

Hisoutensoku Combos

From 5AA

• 5AAA 6C 623BC -- 2157 damage -- 100% limit

Orbs : 2

Use : Anywhere, Point Blank, Everyone

Notes : Use this when short on spirit orbs.

Modifications :

(corner, optional) -- 5AAA 6[C] 623BC -- 2236 damage -- 105% limit.

(Dragon God's Strike) -- 5AAA 6C 236C -- 2238 damage -- 100% limit.

(corner, optional, Dragon God's Strike) -- 5AAA 6[C] 236C -- 2352 damage -- 105% limit.

• 5AAA 5C HJC9 j.5C 9D j.5A j.6A -- 2644 max damage -- 135% max limit.

Orbs : 2+

Use : Midscreen, Close Range, Everyone

Notes : Doesn't work well on Sanae (but still limits).

Modifications :

(easier, less range dependent, good for post-combo spacing) -- 5AAA 5C HJC9 j.5C 9D j.2A -- 2571 max damage -- 135% max limit

• 5AAA 5C hjc.9 j.6C j.66 j.6A -- 2333 max damage -- 115% max limit.

Orbs : 2

Use : Midscreen, Everyone, If you think the combo above won't connect in j.5C due to range.

• 5AA 5C HJC9 j.5C 9D j.5C 6D j.5A j.6A -- 3172 max damage -- 135% max limit

Orbs : 4

Use : Midscreen, Point Blank, whiffs on Remilia Youmu Patchouli China Utsuho Reisen Aya and Tenshi

Notes : Whiffs on 5AA 5C, so it can't be fixed for those characters under normal conditions.

Weather : Moonsoon fixes it for whiffable characters.

• 5AAA 5[B] 6C -- 2475 max damage -- 100% limit

Orbs : 2

Use : Corner, Point Blank, Everyone

Notes : Old corner bnb.

• 5AA 5B 6C 22C -- 2795 damage -- 105% limit

Orbs : 3

Use : Corner, Point Blank, Doesn't limit on Suika, Yukari, Yuyuko, Remilia, Suwako

Notes : Must be cancelled lightning fast at every turn.

Modifications :

(easier, but haven't managed to limit on Suika, Yukari, Remilia, Youmu, Patch, Alice, Sakuya, Reimu, China, Suwako) -- 5AA 5B 5C 22C -- 2671 max damage -- 100% max limit

(easiest, less range dependant, 4 orbs, works on everyone, very reliable) -- 5AA 5B 5C HJC9/7 j.6A j.5B j.6C -- 2641 damage -- 100% limit

• 5AA 6C hjc.9 j.6C j.66 j.6A j.6C - 2340 damage - 100% limit

Orbs : 3

Use : Anywhere, Everyone, use when 5AA hit an airborne opponent.

• 5AA 5B 6C 623C/a.623B (Angel's Strike) -- 2570/2817 damage -- 105% limit

Orbs : 3

Use : Corner, Everyone

• 5AA 6C a.236BC (Dragon God's Strike) hjc.9 j.2A/j.6A -- 2512/2497 damage - 135% limit

Orbs : 3

Use : Midscreen, Everyone

• 5AA 5B 6C a.236C (Dragon God's Strike) hjc.8 j.6A -- 2777 damage - 135% limit

Orbs : 3

Use : Corner, Everyone

From 5A/4A/2A or 3A

• 2A 3A 6C 623BC -- 2169 damage -- 100% limit

Orbs : 2

Use : Anywhere

Modifications :

(Dragon God's Strike) -- 2A 3A 6C 236C -- 2338 -- 100%

• 2A 3A 6C 22BC -- 2264 damage -- 100% limit

Orbs : 2

Use : Corner

Notes : May work anywhere on heavyweight characters.

• 5A/4A/2A 3A 6C HJC9 j.5A j.2A -- 2252/2299 damage -- 100% limit

Orbs : 1

Use : Midscreen & Near Corner, Everyone

Notes : Best "safe use" 5A/4A/2A bnb all around.

• 5A/4A/2A 3A 2B 5C HJC9 j.5C j.66 j.5A j.6A -- 2774/2815 max damage -- 135% max limit

Orbs : 3

Use : Midscreen & Near corner, Point Blank, Whiffs completely on Youmu, Sakuya, Marisa, Reimu, China, Aya and Iku, midscreen on Suika, Patchouli and Suwako, weirdly on Alice, Sanae, Reisen, Komachi and Tenshi

Notes : Very strict on point blank range. Enough that 4A often makes you whiff. Use after landing or when cornered after a successful 4PBE (Border Escape). For some reason does 1 extra damage on Okuu.

Modifications :

(Suika Midscreen, 2 orbs) -- 5A/4A/2A 3A 2B 5C HJC9 j.5A j.2A -- 2436/2480 max damage -- 110% max limit

(Suika, Patchouli & Suwako Midscreen, 2 orbs, 3A starter) -- 3A 2B 5C HJC9 j.5C j.66 j.5A j.6A -- 2572 damage -- 135% limit

(Alice, Sanae, Komacho & Tenshi) -- (under construction (most attempts limit early), start with 5A/4A/2A 3A 5B 5C.., could involve a well-timed 1C, or two j.5A)

(works for Alice, Marisa, Sanae, Komachi, Tenshi) -- 5A/4A/2A 3A 5B 6C 623B -- 2577/2619 damage -- 125% limit

(Reisen) -- (under construction, starts with 5A/4A/2A 3A 5B 5C.., but requires wating a short time before 5B and/or 5C 5A/4A and 2A versions seem to differ)

From j.2A

• j.2A 5C HJC9 j.5C 9D j.5A j.6A -- 2456 max damage -- 130% max limit

Orbs : 2+

Use : Midscreen, Everyone, Requires you to be moving forward toward your opponent, and doesn't work with j2A at max range.

• j.2A 66 hj.9 j.5A j.2A j.2C j.66 j.5A j.2A -- 2203 max damage -- 130% max limit

Orbs : 1

Use : Anywhere, Everyone, One of the j.5A must be omitted. Easy and safe combo, just need to make sure the first j.2A is hit while dashing forward or at least gets you landing not too far. Max range j.2A is possible.

• j.2A f.5A 5B 6C/5C -- 2319/2083 max damage -- 85%/70% max limit

Orbs : 2

Use : Corner, Everyone, with 6C can do d.22BC (but must be fast, limit) a.236C (Dragon God's Strike, 2450+, 100%+ limit), a.623B (Angel's Strike, 2600+, limit). With 5C can do d.236B (2600+, 95% limit), and easier d.22BC.

• j.2A j.6C j.66 j.2A j.6C j.66 j.2A -- 1905 max damage - 135% max limit

Orbs : 2

Use : Anywhere, Everyone, only applicable if haven't airdashed at all, which is usually happening after a hitting j.9 j.2A (not highjump).

• j.2A 6C hjc.9 6C -- 1815 max damage -- 80% max limit

Orbs : 2

Use : Anywhere, Everyone, easiest and safest combo.

• j.2A hjc.9 j.66 j.5A j.2A hjc.9 j.66 j.5A j.2A - 2162 damage -- 120% limit.

Orbs : 0

Use : Midscreen, Everyone, use this if there's no orbs left.

• j.2A a.236B (Dragon God's Strike) hjc.9 j.6C -- 2047 max damage -- 100% max limit

Orbs : 2

Use : Anywhere, this combo goes better as a.236BC levels up.

• j.2A hjc.9 j.6D j.2A a.623B (Angel's Strike) -- 2150 damage -- 80% forced limit

Orbs : 1

Use : Anywhere, this combo goes better as a.623BC levels up.

From j.8A

• j.8A (<3hits) j.5[B] j.6C -- 2470 damage -- 95% limit

Orbs : 2

Use : Anywhere, Everyone

• j.8A j.a214BC (Dragon God's Lightning Flash) j.8D j.5A j.6A j.6C -- 2040 damage -- 100% limit

Orbs : 2

Use : Anywhere, Everyone

From 66C

• 66C 5AA 5C HJC9 j.5C 9D j.5A j.6A -- 2532 damage -- 135% limit

Orbs : 2

Use : Midscreen & Near Corner, Point Blank, Whiffs on Youmu, Harder and Limits Early on Reisen and Tenshi.

Notes : Must cross the opponent during 66C. Timing is character dependant.

Modifications :

(easier, works on Youmu, 3 orbs) -- 66C 5B 6C 22C -- 2238 damage -- 125% limit

From f.5A

• f.5A 6C hjc.9 j.6C j.66 j.5A j.2A j.5C j.6D j.5A j.6A -- 2835 max damage -- 135% limit

Orbs : 3+

Use : Midscreen, Everyone. Skip j.5A if too far.

• f.5A 6C hjc.9 j.6C j.66 j.5A j.2A f.5A 6C -- 2705 max damage -- 90% limit

Orbs : 3

Use : Anywhere, Everyone. Use hjc.7 instead of hjc.9 if reached corner. More reliable version of the above combo. Skip j.5A if too far. Skip second f.5A if too far. Use 5B 6C if second f.5A is unavailable due to reaching corner.

• f.5A 3A 6C 623C/hjc.9 j.5A j.2A -- 2304 max damage/2403 max damage -- 100% limit

Orbs : 2/1

Use : Anywhere, Everyone. 623C if too far for j.5A.

• f.5A 5B 5C hjc.9 j.6D j.5A f.5A 6C -- 3189 max damage -- 70% limit

Orbs : 3+

Use : Anywhere, Everyone. f.5A must be pretty close out of dashing. Corner must be reached during the combo. Can add things for limit, such as a.236C (Dragon God's Strike, around 3,4k) or a.623B (Angel's Strike)

From 6C

• 6C hjc.9 j.5A j.2A...
• 6C 214BC hjc.9...
• 6C hjc.9 j.6C j.66 j.6C j.66...

6C is pretty easy to combo, most likely you'll want to combo it into j.2A.

Spell Card

• j.2A Dragon Fish Drill -- 3214 damage -- 100% limit

Orbs : 0

Use : Anywhere, May not dash before activating spellcard. Simple, deadly, and almost always usable.

• 5AA 5C HJC9 D6 Star Light -- 3737 damage -- 61% limit

Orbs : 1

Use : Midscreen, Point Blank, whiffs on Remilia Youmu Patchouli China Utsuho Reisen Aya and Tenshi.

Notes : Can be followed up with nearly anything you want. Few notables are

22BC -- 3859 damage -- 111% limit

236C (Dragon God's Strike) -- 3850 -- 101% limit

22B (Dragon God's Whiskers) -- 3849 -- 101% limit

214BC 214BC (Dragon God's Lightning Flash) -- 3883 damage -- 101% limit

• 5AAA Star Light 22BC -- 3164 damage -- 116% limit

Orbs : 1

Use : Corner, Point Blank, Everyone.

Notes : 22BC can be replaced with anything else, because Star Light traps the opponent for a long time.

• j.2A 5C HJC9 D6 Star Light 22BC -- 3237 damage -- 136% limit

Orbs : 2

Use : Midscreen, Everyone.

Notes : 22BC can be replaced with anything else, because Star Light traps the opponent for a long time.

• j.2A Star Light 22BC -- 3218 damage -- 116% limit

Orbs : 1

Use : Corner, Everyone.

Notes : 22BC can be replaced with anything else, because Star Light traps the opponent for a long time.

Blockstrings and Pressure

The point of any blockstring is to force your opponent to make a risky move, or risk himself getting guardcrushed. This section will focus on how to use your advantage to it's fullest, whether it's by baiting mashing with a delayed string, or crushing guard with a 5C loop, there's plenty of ways to strike fear into a blocking opponent.

Delayed String Basics

A delayed string is a string that has you delay the next move in the string just enough to allow an opponent to startup an attack or a move. In other words, you make it un-airtight. As a result, you catch your opponent during that startup, interrupting his move and dealing damage. The goal of a delayed string is to make your opponent block longer.

Example 1: When you do Iku's 5AAAA, you don't have to press the "A"s quickly. You can actually do 5AA *pause* AA and still complete the chain. If you time it right and your opponent is foolish enough to attack or dash, you may catch him with the third A, allowing you to damage your opponent. The best way for your opponent to avoid this is to just block.

Example 2: This time, do 5A pause A pause A pause A. Each time you pause, you give your opponent a chance to start up an attack. The result is that each time you pause, your opponent has to guess whether or not you will throw another melee. Your opponent is forced to decide whether to move or block each time you do a pause. Remember, if you pause too long, your opponent may have a hole to escape.

Example 3: This time, do Iku's 5AA 5B 5C. If your opponent is expecting a staggered third a to come out, he will sit and block. The result is that your get your opponent to block a 5C, giving you a huge frame advantage, and getting your opponent closer to the corner. If the 5C knocks the opponent into the corner, Congratulations! You just started the 5C loop! All because you made your opponent fear your melee.

So as you can see, delayed strings rely on the "fear" caused by an oncoming melee. If your opponent expects a melee to occur, they will block, and if your opponent overuses his blocking, you can crush his guard with one of the following two tools.

Main Bullets

Bullets are invaluable as they can be HighJump Cancelled, tend to give more frame advantage, and always deal spirit damage when blocked, stopping the opponent's spirit regeneration ofr a short while.

5C

Iku's 5C has a few useful properties.

• It keeps your opponent it blockstun.
• It drains more orbs than it costs.
• It carries your opponent backward.
• It can be chained into itself.

When to use:

You might happen to land a 5C on Oki.

Delayed strings, 5A 5B 5C, 2A 5B 5C, etc.

Mid Screen: 5C hjc.9 j.6D land 5C

Corner: 5C 5C 5C ...

If you happen to be too close to land a corner 5C loop, you still have the option of moving back or use other guardcrush tools.

Video demonstration 1 Video demonstration 2

5B

Iku's 5B has a few useful properties.

• It is slow.
• It has nice blockstun.
• It usually drains more orbs than it costs.

When to use:

After delayed strings, usually, 5A/5AA/2A 5B...

Mid Screen:

5B 5C (starts 5C Loop)

5B hjc.9 j.6D j.5A

Corner:

5B hjc.9 j.3D land

5B hjc.9 5B j.3D land

5B hjc.9 j.6D j.5A land

5B hjc.9 j.1C j.3D j.5A land

All have different uses.

6C

Iku's 6C has one useful properties. That is, it's speed. It is airtight out of most melees. Even j.2A, sometimes.

When to use:

After a melee that you want to be airtight.

After hjc.9, sometimes.

Mid Screen:

j.5A j.6C j.66 land

Corner:

6C hjc.9 j.6C j.6D j.5A land

6C hjc.9 j.6C works against a cornered opponent.

After 6C, there's some special moves that can be airtight.

d.236B (Dragon Fish's Strike) 0 Orb. Why want this one airtight. Delay it a bit, and it will have a chance to hit the enemy.

a.236B (Dragon God's Strike) 1 Orb. Good range. In corner, can be continued with hjc.9 j.6C j.6D j.5A land reset.

d.22BC (Dragon Fish's Wrath) 1 Orb.

d.214BC (Electrostatic Guided Missile) 0.5 Orb. Good range.

a.214BC (Dragon's Eye) .375 Orb per hit, 2 hits at Level 1, 3 hits at Level 2 and 3, and 4 hits at Level 4. Is amazing at Level 2. Eats more orb than it requires, and more importantly allows airtight reset.

a.623B (Veils Like Wind) 0.5 Orb.

Stagger Pressure Basics

Unfortunately, Iku's bullets have two major flaws: they have very slow startups, which means a more skilled player can graze them in reaction to the animation, and Iku's slow melee means they are relatively safe to Border Escape. Using too many bullets will cripple your spirit regeneration for a short time, and should your opponent evade them and counterattack, you'll be in a very bad situation, with not much spirit left and a slow character with few ways to deal with pressure.

To remedy this, enter the Stagger Strings. Stagger Pressure is the technique of using fast melee moves with high/low attributes, and not necessarily cancelling them. They are similar to Delayed Strings in that they do not keep up the blockstun, but differ in that these rely mosty on mixup, less in delayed move cancelling, and their goal is to take advantage of the opponent's fear; as opposed to causing them fear in the first place.

Due to the nature of the moves used for this, this is moslty a Grounded, Corner technique. Also, Iku's normal grounded melee is air unblockable, so a quick cancel can always punish a HJ escape attempt.

High/Low Mixup

The technique of varying between High and Low melee attacks in a Stagger String, in order to force wrongblocks out of your opponent.

A Wrongblock will drain one full orb of the opponent's spirit bar with no cost to your own, it will also leave them in longer blockstun, opening up more followup options. Wrongblocks also can't be BE'd, greatly reducing your opponent's escape options. You will be trying to scire get these.

Rightblocks, now that wrongblocks don't cause pushback, are hardly useful for you.

5A and 4A

Both hit high, have moderate startups and very short range. 5A can start an autocombo delayed string, 4A won't string, but on a wrongblock it will stagger into itself, given the right range, and 4A uses the same input as block.

If you manage to GuardCrush with these moves, you'll have a lot of options to deal damage, since they are fairly fast and easily cancellable. However their range is not optimal for this role and they are somewhat unsafe, as they will whiff on some crouched opponents at point blank, and have frame disadvantage on rightblock (-2) if not cancelled.

Using this after a dash will preserve Iku's momentum, nullifying all block pushback, making for a great starter or reset on wrongblock. Even with its flaws, this is one of your main weapons for high wrongblocks.

2A

Iku's real main poke: has slower startup, but much better range and a good hitbox. Hits low and can be cancelled into everything 5A/4A can (except autocombo). It has the same frame disadvantage on rightblock as 5A/4A, but its range can be used to make it safe. Its disadvantage is of not being able to punish HJ escapes.

Since it is relatively safe and fast, this is one of your best moves to make sure the stagger pressure keeps up, and it's also great for low wrongblocks if relatively close. It has a lot of pushback, and not much frame advantage on wrongblock, so avoid to use it at max range, as this could open an escape route for the opponent.

f.5A and 66A

Functionally similar to a slower stading 2A with slightly more range. Hits low and cancels into the same moves. Its main use aside from 2A is its longer range, higher hitbox, and less pushback. It has the same frame disadvantage on rightblock as the moves above. Both attacks use the same frames, and seem to be the same except for the sfx played and that 66A has slightly less pushback on block.

Its uses are similar to those of 2A.

4

Since Iku's melee is slow and unsafe on rightblock, it is important that you block in between attacks, so that fast startup, punishable attacks won't hit you and you'll be able to punish them. Also, as any pressure that doesn't keep up the blockstun, this technique is vulnerable to reversals, so it may be a good idea to block at some intevals rather than attacking to punish these.

Ending and resetting the pressure

Since it is a fear based tecnhnique, you won't be able to keep up the stagger pressure forever. You will then need to reset it, end it, continue with another type of pressure, try a gimmick or frame trap, or punish your opponent.

This is mostly done by cancelling the stagger moves to "stronger" ones, maybe even GuardCrush-based cards like lvl1, Thorn Sign, and lvl5.

6A and 3A are the staple attacks that are cancelled from the moves above. They have slower startups and recovery, more frame disadvantage, little pushback, and hit high and low respectively. You can then cancel these to start a string, but they can also be used to punish rightblockers that try to hit you back in between the stagger pressure, and opponents that attempt an escape. However, depending on each situation, other attacks should be used.

LandCancel Strings

LandCancelling is a special type of reset, it means cancelling an aerial attack animation by landing instead of using another attack. By exploiting it, it is possible to create more elaborate blockstrings, able to make pressure midscreen or even airtight strings that can also punish BEs. However, they require a good zoning and spacing beforehand, and they are generally much harder and expensive than other kinds of pressure.

This is the only method for Iku to make good airtight strings in the corner.

Random Things

• Air Blockstrings are almost the same; j.5A -delay- j.6A j.6C j.66 is safe, and next time your opponent might try to block a j.5A j.5B j.6C j.66 reset.
• Iku's "Dragon Fish Drill" helps even more by adding an extra melee at the end of the 236B ender. Normally, an opponent would be able to escape by high jumping after a 236B, but with the "Dragon Fish Drill" you can catch them simply by adding the spell card after the 236B. Simply by having this card ready, you can discourage people trying to escape and even buy enough time to reset your string.
• Skill specific advice:

- a.214BC (thunderbolt) is a good blockstring starter if you manage to make someone block it.

- a.214BC (spinners) only becomes profitable at lvl2, but may help in chaining with 5Cs.

2A/5A 6C 214BC 2A/5A 3A/6A 6C Is airtight at Level 2. At Level 1, is not airtight and the second 2A/5A must be 5A.

- a.236BC (thunderpunch) is probably decent for blockstrings, but watch out for BEs.

f.5A 3A 6C 236B hjc.8 j.6C j.6D j.2A Is airtight and is good. hjc.8 j.4D j.2A (or anything else) can be used to avoid being hit by annoying BErs. Or use "Dragon Fish Drill" instead.

- a.236BC (disco-"teleport") is probably trash, but (5C 236B) loop is a valid blockstring.

- d.22BC drains 1 full orb and may help in the corner.

- a.22BC (delayed bolt) dains one and a half orbs, and can help cover the gaps in your blockstrings if you time it right.

- a.22BC (dragon whiskers) Not only drains their orbs (up to 1 for B version, 3 for C version), it makes you wait enough so that your own are recovered, deals a lot of chip damage, and deals some good damage if you GC them in the meantime. Cover with 5C and immediately angle the shot slightly downwards against a cornered opponent. If they try to high jump out, immediately angle it upwards. The C version stays out for such a long time that a spirit-drained opponent will have a very difficult time getting past you without being hit or guard crushed. It is actually not hard to get opponents into a position where they'll likely block this move.

• All of Iku's SCs, except for Drill Punch and both Veils Buffs, will help you a lot with GCs (also, they can't be BE'd). Thorns and Swimming Oarfish Shot are probably the easiest to use.
• If all else fails, default 236B can be used to make many strings safe (all cancellable strings safe at lvl1). At least you did some chip damage and drew precious cards.
• The Key is unpredictability.

Examples

Of course, stringing should be varied. And again, of course, not every possible strings are listed. You can always replace some j.5A with j.2A... punish Border Escapers with hjc.8 j.44 j.2A... or etc.

Once again, Not every possible strings are listed above.

Below, are some possible strings that one might use...

- 2A 5B (blocked) 5C hjc.9 j.6D land 5C hjc.9 j.6D land 5C hjc.9 j.6D land 5C...

- 5A 5B (blocked) 5C hjc.9 j.6D (corner reached) j.5A 5A 3A 6C a.236B (Dragon God's Strike) hjc.9 j.6C j.6D j.5A...

- 5AA 5B (blocked, in corner) hjc.9 j.1C j.3D j.5A land...

- 2A 2A (They probably expect a 3A instead of 2A here, and because you did a 2A, they might still fear a 3A coming) 5B (blocked, in corner) hjc.9 j.5B (not that much orb damage, though...) j.1D/j.3D land 5A...

- 2A 6A 6C a.236B (Dragon God's Strike) hjc.9 j.6C j.6D j.5A...

- 5AA 6C 22BC (corner)

- j.5A j.6A j.6C j.66 j.5A j.5B j.6C... (aerial)

- 5AAA 236B