BBTag/Yu Narukami/Strategy

Team Synergy

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Recommended Partners

General Tactics

Yu Narukami wants to play at mid range where his 5A's long reach can be used to poke opponents guards. Close range forces Narukami to use his 4A Smart Combo, which while fast has poor damage and range. Note that at close range his only safe on block specials are EX Zio and EX Swift Strike, so he must burn meter to use specials and still stay safe. If the opponent lacks a good long range game, Narukami can hang back and use Zio to force an approach, deal chip damage, and build meter. In blockstrings, using both 5A and 2B's jump cancel effectively is vital to Narukami's pressure and mix-up as it allows him to create ambiguous high / low situations without using his very committal Swift Strike or Raging Lion. His Persona, Izanagi, is immune to the effects of Reject Guard, making it a strong option against RG spamming opponents. With resources, Narukami can essentially keep opponents locked in long blockstrings that have very few gaps by switching between assists and EX Zio as needed. Avoid burning meter on constant Reject Guards and reversal supers as Narukami needs meter for oki and non-assist reliant mix-ups.

Okizeme

Yu Narukami has a very basic approach to oki that focuses carrying opponents to the corner where his A and B Smart Combo enders can create safe-jumps. If Narukami is mid-screen or wants better damage off his combo enders, he can utilize meter to set-up safe-jumps with his Cross Slash or meaties with his EX Zio. If his Skill Gauge is low, he can use assists that generate knockdowns at the end of combos to set up safe jumps. If no resources are available, almost all his combos will end with either A or B Swift Strike, both of which have enough of a frame advantage to meaty with his 5A.

Oki Options

0) Air Raging Lion (j.C): Not directly an oki option, however it allows Narukami to end air combos with ground specials and supers, which is vital to his oki game.

1) A Smart Combo (5AAA): Works anywhere on the screen but only against airborne opponents. Grants safe-jump oki but sacrifices optimal damage.

2) Ground Raging Lion (5BBB): Works anywhere on the screen. Grants safe-jump oki but sacrifices optimal damage and may whiff in some combos.

3) Swift Strike (214A/B): Works anywhere on the screen. Weakest oki option, but requires no resources.

4) EX Swift Strike + Big Gamble (214C~A/B/C): Works anywhere on the screen. Deals minimum damage, has excellent corner carry, and provides safe-jump oki but costs one bar.

5) EX Zio (236[C]): Works anywhere on the screen. Deals minimum damage but costs one bar.

6) Cross Slash (214B+C): Works anywhere on the screen. Deals minimum damage and sets up a safe jump but costs two bars.

Choosing an Oki Route

0) Air Raging Lion is the key to all of Narukami's oki as it can be used to end any air combo with grounded moves as it is special and super cancelable on hit. Avoid using air Big Gamble and Ziodyne as they don't provide any oki and can't combo into Raging Lion. If Narukami is already on the ground, his sweep (2C) fulfills the same role.

1) Yu's A Smart Combo is jump cancelable on hit and has a knockdown property against airborne opponents, which gives him a very strong safe-jump set-up that cover all possible tech option, both mid-screen and in the corner. However, this option is locked behind other attacks, can only be used while Narukami is on the ground, and the opponent is airborne, limiting where it can be used in combos. It also always leads into sub-optimal damage and metergain, so don't autopilot using this option.

2) Ground Raging Lion is very similar to the previous oki option, having very similar faults and strengths. It has better damage and metergain than the A Smart Combo and can be used against grounded opponents, but the damage and metergain is still not optimized and the actual frame advantage varies based on an airborne opponent's height. It also whiffs mid-screen if the opponent is too far after 5BB connects. For the most part, it can be used interchangeably with the A Smart Combo.

3) Swift Strike is Narukami's go-to combo ender for all his resourceless combo routes. No fancy set-ups here, just a meaty normal, likely 5A, to pressure the opponent's wake up. Deals optimal damage and gains the most meter but has the weakest set-ups.

4) EX Swift Strike into the Big Gamble follow up provides better damage, corner carry, and frame advantage than the normal version. It also is the only move that can combo after certain moves hit at a far range, such as a full-screen counter hit Zio. Provides safe jump oki, but only if the Big Gamble is delayed so that the opponent is launched as high as possible. Timing is less strict against airborne opponents due to the fact that they float higher after the last hit. Narukami must do a forward jump IAD for the safe jump against neutral/back techs, or he must back jump IAD to cover forward techs. Keep in mind that this option costs 1 bar and incurs a 180 frame meter build cooldown.

5) EX Zio is Narukami's most complex oki tool. After landing Raging Lion, make sure to touch the ground before inputting EX Zio, otherwise the move will be too high up and won't threaten the opponent's wake up. Hold C to charge the Zio and release so that it meaties the opponent or hold longer so that Narukami can apply high/low mix ups (such as with the normally unsafe Raging Lion) while Izanagi covers him and launches opponents on a successful hit. This set-up is reversal proof as Narukami can block while Izanagi both attacks with Zio and defends with his body, though note that invincible throws will still catch Narukami if he is too close. If Izanagi is hit, the charge will end and Narukami will lose 2.5% of his max health. Costs 1 bar and incurs a 180 frame meter build cooldown, so use wisely.

6) Cross Slash is both Narukami's most damaging combo ender and his strongest oki tool. Simply jump after the super (can be buffered by holding up, up-forward or up-back) to use the impressive frame advantage to create a safe-jump. Mid-screen, neutral jump covers forward tech, forward jump covers neutral tech, and forward jump IAD covers back tech. If the Cross Slash is done at max range, forward jump covers both forward and neutral tech but back tech can completely escape the set-up. In the corner, neutral covers forward tech and forward jump covers both neutral and back tech. Max range use in the corner allows forward jump to cover all tech options. Can be used at the end of essentially every combo and can even be done after a partner's super through the use of Distortion Skill Duo, though note that the partner version only grants very basic 5A meaty oki. Very strong and oppressive oki overall, though note that this super costs two bars and incurs a 180 frame meter build cooldown.

Blockstrings

Narukami can flow to and from 5A very easily, which can be jump-canceled to either reset pressure and apply mix-ups or to disengage from a risky situation. He can also keep blockstrings going for a long time thanks to his excellent range and a variety of cancel options, however Smart Combo follow-ups (i.e. 4AA, 5AA, and 5BB) can only be done once per string so if he uses the first part and then cancels into another normal he will be unable to use that Smart Combo's follow-ups in the same string. Thus 5AA and 5B should not be used carelessly (5A can be used repeatedly but 5B can only be used once). If Narukami has at least 1 bar, he can use EX Zio to reset pressure while keeping his blockstring true, allowing him to maintain pressure for absurd lengths of time. However, effective use of Reject Guards can be used to escape and possibly punish it so don't get predictable with how you use it. His biggest flaw when it comes to blockstrings is converting them into a hit through a mix-up as Narukami is reliant on assists for covering his slow and/or unsafe mix-ups. His main tools for overheads (5C and Raging Lion) and lows (2C and non-EX versions of Swift Strike) are horribly unsafe on block and cannot convert into full combos on their own. A solo Narukami is a predictable Narukami.

Tips and Tricks

Conserve meter! EX Zio is an absurdly strong tool but its threat is diminished if Narukami constantly Reject Guards or uses reversal supers!
Keep your partner alive! Outside of liberal EX Zio usage, Narukami cannot safely apply mix-ups on his own which means assists are very important!
Don't end up alone! Use Active Switch and Cross Raids to tag Narukami in if his partner is low on health.
Don't use Izanagi carelessly! Narukami loses 2.5% of his current health every time his persona gets hit or if it is summoned when he gets hit.
Use throws! 5A can be rebeat into multiple times in the same string and can be canceled into his throw, making it easy to slip into a blockstring!
Get opponents to the corner! It is the only place where Narukami can effectively use his best oki without burning resources.
Use Raging Lion to end mid-screen combos! It combos directly into Swift Strike for massive corner carry, nearly guaranteeing a corner position.

Fighting Yu

Narukami has many powerful neutral tools which include both air and ground usable full-screen-traveling projectiles, a similarly reaching slide that hits low, a far reaching dive-kick that hits high, long reach with his katana, and a pressure-resetting tool that travels full-screen. However, without an assist his damage is average and he has to take big risks to land mix-ups. Force him to fight on his own by forcing out or baiting bursts and cut off his resources by forcing him to use Reject Guard. Using strong oki is also a good idea as his defensive options are all very one-dimensional and in the case of his supers, expensive. Above all else, taking out his partner puts him at a massive disadvantage, regardless of whether or not you still have a partner of your own.