Samurai Shodown VI has finally come to North America as part of the Samurai Shodown Anthology collection for PlayStation 2, Nintendo Wii, and PSP.
SS6 includes every character from the previous installments and the ability to select "spirits" that adjust how characters dodge, build super meter, and other mechanics. SS6 also introduces four new characters, including Iroha.
Iroha's story in SS6
Iroha is a busty maid who wields twin knives and a passion to fight for her lord. Who is her lord? Judging from her entrance and victory animations and submissive win quotes, it seems to be the player. Way to break the fourth wall.
Basic Character Strategy
Mobility is Iroha’s key asset. Her walking speed is not special, but her slide kick (downforward + Kick), Heavy Cut, and forward + Kick overhead attack travel across the screen very quickly. With these techniques and her projectile special, Iroha can harass opponents stuck in a corner or recovering from a knockdown without being on top of them.
Aside from a wall jump, Iroha also has a double jump, a rarity in SS6’s cast. The double jump can work in any direction near or at the top of the jump. All of her special attacks can also be used in the air, and she can cancel her standing kick into those versions as well. With a parry special and a throw super move, Iroha has a lot of options and can be tailored to fight any opponent.
Special Moves
Note: Special moves are preformed by rotating the control stick or d-pad from one point to another followed by a button. These commands assume the character is facing left.
Wind Slash (Down to Right + Cut or Kick)
Iroha releases a small white projectile that travels across the screen. L. Cut has lag before the projectile is released, while the projectile itself is slow. H. Cut has no lag and travels very fast. M. Cut is between the two extremes, while the Kick version travels upward as an anti-air.
Wind Slash can also be preformed in the air, and functions the same except that the kick version travels downward. The air version also pushes Iroha back, allowing her to keep pressure while moving away.
Pinwheel (Down to Back + Cut)
Iroha spins around with her knives out hurricane kick style, scoring multiple hits. Like Wind Slash the L. Cut version is slow to start and travels the shortest, while H. Cut is the opposite. Does good chip damage and easy to combo. The air version hits once for knockdown, making it a good “get off me” move when canceled from a standing kick.
Dew Drizzle (Foward, Down, Downforward + Cut)
Iroha spins vertically toward the opponent. All versions of the attack are quick but unsafe, and each version travels in a different direction. L. Cut moves horizontally, M. Cut goes upward at a 45 degree angle, and H. Cut moves almost straight up. In the air version, L. Cut travels straight down, M. Cut goes downward at a 45 degree angle, and H. Cut moves straight across.
Rain Hollyhock (Forward, Back, Forward + K)
Iroha parries high attacks and gets a free hit. She is wide open if she guesses wrong and the parry is useless for multi-hit attacks, so save it for countering heavy cuts and other single-hit attacks.
Super Moves
Dawn in Winter Snow Moon Flower (Down to Forward + M. Cut and S. Cut in VI spirit; Forward to Back to Forward to Down to Back + M. Cut and S. Cut in II spirit)
A fire-fueled version of her Dew Drizzle that can be done both on the ground and in the air. The ground version travels at an upward angle as an anti-air, while the air version travels downward.
Crane’s Dance (Down to Forward + L. Cut and M. Cut in all spirits except I spirit)
A super throw similar to Zangief’s Final Atomic Buster, only Iroha takes her foe behind a screen, strips naked, and proceeds to beat the crap out of him. It doesn’t do much more damage than any of her other moves, and opponents can jump or back dash to avoid it, but a unblockable throw super is a dangerous thing for a mobile character like Iroha to have in her back pocket.
Next: Andrew
