BBCF/Naoto Kurogane/Starter

Naoto Starter Guide

Core

Key Moves

• 5AGuardAllStartup6Recovery12Advantage-1 is your fastest and best button in your arsenal. Hits crounchers and comboes into Enhanced specials.
• 5AGuardAllStartup6Recovery12Advantage-1, 5AAGuardMidStartup8Recovery14Advantage-1 and 2AGuardLow/AirStartup7Recovery12Advantage-2 are his main buttons to pressure the opponent.
• For basic pressure, use his fast and safe A buttons and frametrap with his B, C and D buttons.
• "Enhancer" is Naoto's main gimmick.
• 214AGuardStartupRecovery39 [37]Advantage- enables Naoto to make use of his gimmick in combos, increasing damage, corner carry and versability overall.
• 623CGuardMidStartup6Recovery26+11Advantage-28 [-22] is a main staple in combos when Enhanced, and 623DGuardMid, All [Mid]Startup9Recovery38+16
  [29+16]Advantage-45 [-28] is the best DP in the game and his main combo ender.
• 214DGuardAllStartup15 [13]Recovery23Advantage-9 [-7] is a useful tool in combos and neutral when Enhanced.
• Banishing FangGuardAllStartup13Recovery17Advantage-3 is Naoto's rekka special, which is used in pressure and combos. The Enhanced version has amazing corner carry, and the second and third part of the rekka have Fatal Counter property.
• 2CGuardMidStartup11Recovery22Advantage-11 is your main grounded anti-air, being fast, having H attribute invulnerability and leading to good reward on hit.
• 5BGuardMidStartup8Recovery18Advantage-4 can work as a preemptive anti-air against opponents who are right above Naoto, but it doesn't have H invulnerability.

Combos

Combos

5A will carry you

• 5A > 5AA > 5B > 5C > 6B > j.623D~j.2C — An easy combo that gives you knockdown anywhere on the screen.
• Forward Throw, 665C > 2C >sjc j.B > j.C > jc j.B > j.C > j.623D~j.2C — basic forward throw combo that works anywhere on screen.
• 5A > 5AA > 5B > 5C > 3C > 214D, 5B > 236BBC > sjc j.C > jc j.C > j.623D~j.2C — A corner only combo.

Once you're able to hit those consistently and want to go further, you should learn the BnBs:

• Starter > 5C > 214A~dc/5D~dc > En623C, 5A > 5AA > 2C > jc j.C > jc j.C > j.623D~j.2C — This is your midscreen BnB route.

• Starter > 5C > 3C > 214D, dl.665B > En236BBB~dc > dl.En214D, 5B > 2C > sjc j.C > jc j.C > j.623D~j.2C — And this is your corner BnB route.

• The Midscreen BnB

• The Corner BnB

• 5A — This is the button you will be using the almost everytime, since it's key in Naoto's pressure. Gatling into 5AA and then start a combo, since it spaces perfectly for his advanced combos.
• 2C, 6AGuardHighStartup24Recovery24Advantage-10 — The first one is a common starter since you will use it to anti-air the opponent, and 6A is Naoto's standing overhead, with great reward on hit.
• Throw — For when your opponent thinks your pressure can't be more suffocating.
• You should save meter for 623D > RC, since it gives you your turn back.
• Use your Overdrive in combos to net high damage and get the kill; the increase in speed on your Drive normals and the capacity of landing powered up Supers (632146BGuardAllStartup5+(50 Flash)+2Recovery23Advantage-11/632146DGuardAllStartup4+(40 Flash)+9Recovery48Advantage-18) further increases Naoto's damage.
• This.

What to do after a knockdown

Naoto's okizeme is pretty solid since you can reapply pressure again.

After scoring a knockdown, meaty them with (66)2A or (66)5A. If they don't tech or wait too much, you get a combo.

• Basic Oki

In case you want to check other oki setups, please check The Okizeme section.