Despite what Ky was likely intended to be, he strays very far from the role of a shoto in this game. Most of his strings simply don't work, and as such, Ky's combos, pressure, and neutral simply don't work the way they were probably intended. He's very Modern Cancel dependent, and requires knowledge of his normal combo theory otherwise to not drop combos that otherwise work universally (as an example, Ky's 5XXXX doesn't combo at all, and he must do 5X > 2X > 6XX instead).
Ky Kiske is unlocked by completing the Campaign on any difficulty.
These glaring flaws permeate his kit. His attacks seem to interfere with GG2's Infinite Prevention System, meaning that his normal combos are prone to drop on simple chance. For as flashy as they can be, he has to keep things very brief or the opponent may suddenly tech out and leave Ky at disadvantage.
This isn't to say that he's a completely dysfunctional character. Ky has access to some crazy setups, some very good damage if you know how to get it, and one of the only other functional DP Dragon Punch A move that has invulnerability during its startup, long recovery, and a rising motion.s in Vapor Thrust. He's Sol's rival for a reason.
- Strong Combos: While not as damaging as Sol, Ky's routing is consistent. So long as he knows how to convert the hit that he gets, he can make anything hurt.
- Specials: Every single one of Ky's Specials is phenomenal. Stun Edge is a great combo tool and poke against Masters, Vapor Thrust is high damage and leads to a MC for an air combo, Stun Dipper is a good MC point while the second hit ends combos, and Holy Brand allows Ky to control crowds while simultaneously fighting an enemy Master. Every move he has serves a purpose.
- Conserves Tension: If Ky is willing to give up damage, both Stun Edge and Stun Dipper (1st hit) cost less than a normal Special and let Ky save his Tension for a better hit later on in the same fight. As such, Ky generally has more longevity than other fighters, and can bounce between multiple consecutive battles more easily.
- Ride the Lightning: If Tyrant Rave is the best single-target Overdrive, this is the best multi-target Overdrive. Not only does Ride the Lightning inflict massive damage on hit, it pushes through an insane amount of enemies, allowing Ky to wipe out entire roads of Servants if he angles it properly. While it is difficult to combo into, Ky isn't a stranger to this.
- Cheap as Hell: Ky has quite a few setups. Some of his attacks, such as 6XX and 4XX, have large movements in them. Strings like 5X > 2X > 6X create checkmates where your opponent has to Burst or die, since the 6X moves behind the opponent while they're in hitstun and creates an unblockable reset which Ky can regain pressure off of with a Modern Cancel.
- Close-range Combos: Ky's combos are very range-dependent. His main combo spacing string, 5X > 2X, doesn't connect at most distances, meaning that Ky might instead have to do something worse like 5X > Stun Edge.
- Damage: By virtue of his combos being so precise, Ky's damage can suffer. Skills like Charged Stun Edge patch this hole in his kit, but that's expensive and situational.
- Illyria: Unlike Sin, who's much better at controlling crowds, Ky is a middle ground between range and damage, meaning that his crowd controlling isn't nearly as effective. His army, Illyria, struggles if the enemy has greater numbers, leaving Ky with an army that's just a bit less than he might want.
| Ky Kiske | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Health | |
| 500 | |
| Skills | |
| Charged Stun Edge, Divine Gaze, Soul Diver | |
| Tribe | |
| Illyria | |
Combos
To do: fix notation combos involving jumps and air combos. -Basic Combos-
5X, X, X, X, X The second hit will be auto guarded.
8X Ky stabs his target causing them to launch forward. Knocks down target as well. Slight wind up.
4X, 4X, 4X, 4X Ky will dash around the target on the third hit. Forth hit will be auto guarded.
6X, 6X, 6X Ky will dash right to left. Second hit auto guarded.
2X, X Ky slaps his target and kicks them. Very quick, need to be in enemies face.
-Advanced Combos-
4X, 5X, X, X, X, 5Y 181 Damage.
4X, 5X, X, X, X, 8Y, Y 219 Damage.
4X, 5X, X, X, X, 2Y 204 Damage.
4X, 5X, X, X, X, 2Y, (MC), ad. 5X, X, X 249 Damage.
5X, 2X, X, X, X, 5Y 167 Damage.
5X, 2X, X, X, X, 8Y, Y 205 Damage.
5X, 2X, X, X, X, 2Y 190 Damage.
5X, 2X, X, X, X, 2Y, (MC), ad. 5X, X, X 235 Damage.
5X, 2X, X, X, X, 2Y, (MC), 5X, X, ad. 5X, X, X 246 Damage.
-Overdrive Combos-
5X, X+A 466 Damage.
2X, 5X, X+A 482 Damage.
4X, 5X, X, X, X, X+A 369 - 579 Damage if X+A is delayed to the last second.
5X, 2X, X, X, X, X+A 355 - 565 Damage if X+A is delayed to the last second.
6X, 8X, X, X+A Will kill from full health if you delay the X+A input. Unreliable due to this string having a 1 in 4 chance of being auto guarded. 395 - 520 Damage if X+A is delayed to the last second.
5X, 6X, X+A 494 Damage.